StatinSafe — Identify Risk of Adverse Reactions of Statins
Safely Medicate with Statins
STATINSAFE analyse the presence of two variants from the major genes (SLCO1B1 & ABCG2) that affect drug metabolism, helping patients analyse their risk in developing adverse reactions when taking statins. Through your genotype together with a list of related risk factors, doctors are able to identify the most precise treatment strategy for their patients to optimise treatment outcome - reduce adverse reactions and effectively lower the cholesterol level at the same time.
Studies Showing the Prevalent use of genetic testing as a medication guideline:
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The number of patients willing to start statins increased by 1.5 folds³
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Speed up the reduction of LDL-cholesterol in the first 3 months³
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Does not reduce the effects of cardiovascular disease prevention⁴
StatinSafe helps you manage your cholesterol levels safely and effectively, reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and protect your health.
The test results will indicate:
Did you know?
Popular Misunderstandings About the Side Effects of Cholesterol Drugs
By inhibiting cholesterol synthesis in liver, statins are the most commonly prescribed medications for lowering cholesterol³, which can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, due to the unprofessional and often erroneous medical information about the side effects of cholesterol drugs circulating on the internet, many patients with high cholesterol developed misconceptions about statins. Overly concerned about side effects, some even choose to disregard their doctor’s instructions.
While it’s true that statins can have side effects, the most common one is muscle pain, which does not have a major impact on the body. Meanwhile, a medication’s most important function is to control a disease and ensure that it does not get more serious. If a medicine is not taken regularly and in the prescribed amount, it will not be effective and may even fail to lower a patient's cholesterol level, thus increasing the risk of the disease becoming more serious.
Target Groups
People with the following conditions
Start statins treatment
(Identify high-risk drug users)
Experience side effects when using statins (Determine the need to stop or switch medication
Consider resumption of statins regime (Evaluate drug safety)
Complete Your Journey with GemVCare
How it works
Specimens will be sent to our testing center for analysis and the test will be completed within 14 working days.
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Collect specimens at designated centers
•Oral cell specimen / Blood specimen
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Reports will be explained by your healthcare provider and an appropriate disease management plan will be designed accordingly.
Users's Experience
“StatinSafe test gave me the reassurance to start the medication regime, which helped reduce my cholesterol levels effectively.”
I have suffered from high cholesterol for many years. Recently my cholesterol reading was off the charts so my doctor advised me to start using statins to lower the cholesterol level. Before starting the meds, I searched online and learned that certain patients taking statins can experience side effects such as muscle pain and even rhabdomyolysis in severe cases. With friends sharing similar stories, I told my doctor I was afraid to start medication.
However, my doctor insisted high cholesterol must be treated with meds; otherwise, severe cardiovascular disease, even death, would be imminent. Upon hearing my concerns, he recommended me to do StatinSafe test, a genetic test that analyses the presence of genes that increase the risk of drug-induced adverse reactions. The test results together with other risk factors would then be used as a reference to minimise the risk of adverse reactions.
In the end, my test results came back negative. With no other risk factors, I was proven not a high-risk user for statins. This makes me feel much better about following my doctor's medication advice. Since taking statins, my cholesterol level has reduced, and I have not experienced any adverse reactions. My friend also took the test and results showed that he is a high-risk user for statins, which explained his earlier adverse reactions to the drug. After his doctor prescribed an alternative medication, the side effects disappeared, and his cholesterol level also improved.
Thanks to StatinSafe, high cholesterol patients like myself can now take medication safely to manage our cholesterol levels confidently, and lower the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
*This story is inspired by our users' experiences and feedbacks and is presented here as illustration. Since each patient is unique, our services should not be seen in any way as guaranteeing outcomes.
Mr. Chan
References：
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Kashani, A.; Phillips, C.O.; Foody, J.M.; Wang, Y.; Mangalmurti, S.; Ko, D.T.; Krumholz, H.M. Risks associated with statin therapy: A systematic overview of randomized clinical trials. Circulation 2006, 114, 2788–2797.
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Top 10 Prescription Medications in the U.S. https://www.goodrx.com/drug-guide
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Peyser B, et al. Effects of delivering SLCO1B1 pharmacogenetic information in randomized trial and observational settings. Circ Genom Precis Med. 2018;11:e002228. doi:10.1161/CIRCGEN.118.002228
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Vassy JL, Gaziano JM, Green RC, et al. Effect of Pharmacogenetic Testing for Statin Myopathy Risk vs Usual Care on Blood Cholesterol: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Dec 1;3(12):e2027092. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.27092. PMID: 33270123; PMCID: PMC7716196.