A study looked at 81 patients with early stage MS. Half were given the statin drug lipitor. The other half took a placebo.
After 12 months of treatment, 55 percent of those taking Lipitor had no new brain lesions. That compares to 27 percent of those who took the placebo.
Researchers say more studies are needed to confirm the effects of taking Lipitor. Multiple sclerosis is a disease in which the immune cells attack the central nervous system and destroy the protective sheath that surrounds nerves.
The study was presented at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
