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Statins pioneer Akira Endo dies aged 90

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Statins pioneer Akira Endo dies aged 90

19 hours ago

By Michelle Roberts,

Digital health editor

 

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AFP Akira EndoAFP

The Japanese scientist whose pioneering work led to the creation of statins, the life-saving drugs used by millions, has died at the age of 90.

Akira Endo’s pivotal work has been likened to the discovery of penicillin.

The biochemist is said to have been inspired by Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin, prompting him to study mould, or fungi, in his quest to find new medicines.

In 1973, Prof Endo found the first cholesterol-lowering compound able to reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes.

Paying tribute, Prof Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation, described the professor as “a remarkable scientist”.

“This really was the forerunner to the development of statin drugs,” he told BBC News, adding: “They have absolutely transformed the prevention of heart disease and stroke.”

“There’s very few treatments in medicine that have happened in the past few years that have had such a dramatic impact.”

Unlike Dr Fleming though, his discovery did not earn the professor a Nobel prize.

“Amazingly, the man who began the process of working out how to deal with the problem of cholesterol – and provided a treatment that benefited and saved the lives of many, many millions of people never got the prize,” said Prof Williams.

“I think that’s a shame.” Doctors now routinely prescribe statins to people who have had a heart attack, and those who are at high risk of heart disease or stroke.

The drugs are estimated to save thousands of lives each year in the UK alone, and even more worldwide.

Cholesterol is a fatty material, chiefly made in the liver, which is carried and transported in the blood.

People need some cholesterol to maintain good health, but too much “bad” cholesterol can clog the arteries and interrupt blood flow.

Statins help lower “bad” cholesterol in the blood and keep the vessels clear of any fatty build-up. (BBC News)

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