The development of pharmaceutical drugs can lead down some interesting paths. What they're originally designed for isn't always what they end up doing, as the makers of Botox and Viagra can tell you. And now the National Cancer Institute is backing researching seeing if statins, the leading type of cholesterol-reduction drug, can prevent cancer. Specifically, studies are revealing that statins block the surface lipids of enzymes that can trigger melanomas and colon cancers (Disclaimer: a UC Irvine skin cancer specialist I'm working with is leading a clincal trial using lovastatins for melanoma prevention). Will statins work for cancer prevention? Hard to tell right now, but the failed angina drug that became Viagra certainly shows that drugs can have more than one utility. Here's what the NCI has to say on statins:
Pictured: the Super Colon!
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