An assessment of statin safety by nephrologists.

Recently, concerns regarding potential adverse effects of the statins on the kidney have been raised. The Kidney Expert Panel of the National Lipid Association's (NLA) Safety Task Force, made up of 3 nephrologists, was convened to review all of the currently available evidence pertinent to determining whether statins cause kidney injury, independent of the known, rare mechanisms of rhabdomyolysis and allergic, drug-induced, interstitial nephritis. The Panel reviewed published and unpublished evidence and found none that suggested that statins, when used in doses currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), cause kidney injury.