Role of pharmacogenomics in Statin Responsiveness; A review

Statins have been used for decades as a successful cholesterol-lowering class of medicines. Statins are widely prescribed for the primary and secondary prevention of coronary artery disease. They reduce cardiovascular risk and improve health outcomes in people with cardiovascular disease. Although statins are considered as a safe medicine and well tolerated by patients, prediction of individual patient’s response to statin therapy remains unclear. Variation to statin therapy has been attributed to both environmental and genetic factors. In this review, a number of candidates gene that affect statin pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are discussed. Moreover, the association of demographic factors with statin response in related studies is described. We reviewed the literature concerning pharmacogenetic studies on statin response. 50 English-language clinical trials, prospective or retrospective human investigations, case series, case reports, published between 1998 to2015, were evaluated.  Based on these data, there are some candidate genes that have been established as affecting genes on statin efficacy and suggest that drug therapy based on individuals' genetic makeup may result in a clinically important reduction in variation of statin response.