Lovastatin was the first cholesterol-lowering statin drug. Scientists from Merck and a researcher named Akira Endo found it in different fungi, and it was approved by the FDA in 1987 after tests showed it safely lowered bad cholesterol in people.

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From Fleming to Endo: The discovery of statins

Narrative Review

Animal

2021 Dec 31

The study talks about how Akira Endo discovered statins from fungi, which matches part of the claim, but it doesn’t confirm the full story about how the drug was tested and approved.

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Source Study

From Fleming to Endo: The discovery of statins

Score: 1

DOI: 10.21542/gcsp.2021.32

Similar Assertions

A drug called Lovastatin, discovered in a red mold in 1978, worked better than an earlier version and became the first 'statin' medicine approved to help lower cholesterol in people.

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A scientist named Akira Endo found the first statin in a fungus back in 1971, and that discovery led to the cholesterol-lowering medicines millions of people take today.

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75%