Landmark 106 · Trial in people
Simvastatin (PD STAT)
Did not slow Parkinson's in 235 people. Movement scores worsened slightly more on the drug than on placebo.
In short
A UK trial of 235 people found the statin simvastatin, tested because statin use had been linked to lower Parkinson's risk, did not slow progression and, on the main measure, trended slightly worse.
- What it is
- Trial in people
- Outcome
- Did not work
- When
- 2022
- Size
- 235 people
- Approach
- Look beyond the brain
- Research lane
- Metabolic drug repurposing
- Last checked
- 19 Oct 2026
The research record
This is the project's file for this landmark, as written and checked. Sources are listed at the end; anything not yet confirmed is marked "Not yet verified".
Who
K. N. Stevens, Siobhan Creanor and colleagues (University of Plymouth, per the paper's listed affiliation) across 23 English NHS trusts. Funded jointly by the JP Moulton Charitable Foundation and The Cure Parkinson's Trust.
What happened
Earlier population studies linked statin use to a lower risk of developing Parkinson's, and lab work suggested protection of brain cells. The futility trial ran from March 2016 to May 2020 and enrolled 235 people aged 40-90 with moderate-stage Parkinson's, all with wearing-off (levodopa effect fading between doses), randomised 1:1 to simvastatin or placebo. Dosing was 40 mg a day for a month, then 80 mg for 23 months, with a two-month washout. Of those enrolled, 216 went up to 80 mg and 178 were in the main analysis. The primary measure was the MDS-UPDRS part 3 (motor exam, off medication) at 24 months. Scores worsened 4.5 points on simvastatin and 2.4 on placebo; simvastatin was 1.52 points worse (80% CI −0.77 to 3.80), and the one-sided futility test gave P = 0.006. At 12 months the gap was 2.74 points (95% CI −0.11 to 5.58, P = 0.06), not significant. Myalgia (muscle pain) was the commonest side effect: 36% at 0 mg, 46% at 40 mg and 68% at 80 mg. The investigators called simvastatin futile and said there was no evidence to support a phase 3 trial (JAMA Neurol 2022, DOI below).
Why it moved us toward a cure
It was a clean, well-designed test of a repurposing idea that population data seemed to support. It warns that a link seen in population records does not guarantee that giving the drug will help.
Outcome
Dead end as a general slowing treatment. The investigators said statins might still merit study in selected people, but did not test that.
Sources
- Stevens et al., JAMA Neurol 2022, DOI 10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.3718, PMC9623477 (open access) · ISRCTN 16108482 · summary at NeurologyLive
- Parkinson's UK news
- Not yet verified: the paper's explanation for the harm signal (the NeurologyLive summary gives none); the exact online date (31 Oct 2022 not rechecked).
How it connects
Built on
- builds on Linked Clinical Trials · 2013 (link inferred)
Led to
None recorded.