THE WORLD'S TOP-SELLING DRUGS, CHOLESTEROL-LOWERING STATINS, MIGHT PROVIDE A WAY TO TREAT FEARED BIRD FLU, ACCORDING TO A DOCTOR AND RETIRED DRUG COMPANY EXECUTIVE WHO IS TRYING TO GET THE RESEARCHERS TO STUDY THE POSSIBILITY, REUTERS REPORTED. ANTIVIRALS THAT AFFECT THE INFLUENZA VIRUS ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY, AND IT WILL BE YEARS BEFORE VACCINE MAKERS CAN RAMP UP CAPACITY ENOUGH TO IMMUNIZE THE WORLD'S POPULATION AGAINST A PANDEMIC FLU. BUT WHAT IF THERE WAS A CHEAP AND WIDELY AVAILABLE DRUG THAT HELPED TREAT THE FLU'S WORST SYMPTOMS AND POSSIBLY SAVE LIVES? EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT STATIN DRUGS, DESIGNED TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL, MIGHT HELP TURN A POTENTIALLY DEADLY INFECTION INTO A MILDER DISEASE, ACCORDING TO DR. DAVID FEDSON, WHO THINKS WORLD HEALTH AUTHORITIES OUGHT TO TAKE A HARDER LOOK AT THE POSSIBILITY. "GENERIC STATINS ARE AVAILABLE IN VIRTUALLY EVERY COUNTRY," SAID FEDSON, A RETIRED U.S. PHYSICIAN LIVING IN FRANCE. "YOU'LL BE ABLE TO TAKE FIVE DAYS OF STATINS IN INDIA FOR LESS THAN A DOLLAR," FEDSON, WHO WAS ALSO DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AFFAIRS AT AVENTIS PASTEUR (NOW FRENCH DRUG COMPANY SANOFI AVENTIS, SAID IN A TELEPHONE INTERVIEW. "WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT CONCEIVABLY COULD SAVE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF LIVES. THIS RESEARCH IS SO IMPORTANT THAT WE CANNOT AFFORD NOT TO TAKE IT." FEDSON, AN EXPERT ON VACCINATION, CITES SEVERAL RECENT STUDIES THAT SHOW THAT STATINS REDUCE INFLAMMATION. DESIGNED TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL, THE DRUGS WORK ON SEVERAL BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES AND MAY REDUCE THE RISK OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, SOME CANCERS, AND MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. IN JANUARY, RESEARCHERS IN CANADA REPORTED THAT STATINS ACT AGAINST SEPSIS, A DANGEROUS BLOOD INFECTION AND A 2005 STUDY PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL RESPIRATORY RESEARCH FOUND THE DEATH RATE WAS 64 PERCENT LOWER IN PNEUMONIA PATIENTS WHO HAD BEEN TAKING STATINS.
