Raw research findings for this medication. Mostly single studies, not curated or confirmed robust.
Simvastatin is a statin: it blocks HMG-CoA reductase, the liver enzyme that makes cholesterol, so the liver takes more LDL cholesterol out of the blood. It is used to lower cholesterol and to reduce the chance of heart attack and stroke. It is sold as Zocor, among other names.
Simvastatin has the strongest link of all statins to SLCO1B1, the gene for a transporter that carries statins into the liver. The common variant rs4149056 (in the *5 and *15 versions) weakens the transporter, so more simvastatin stays in the blood. In the large SEARCH study, people with two copies had many times the rate of muscle damage on a high dose. CPIC and DPWG have published guidelines on SLCO1B1 and simvastatin, and the US FDA lists it as affecting safety. Studies have also looked at CYP3A4 and CYP3A5, which break simvastatin down, and at genes linked to how much cholesterol falls, with weaker evidence.
Clinical guidelines that name a gene for Simvastatin. They sort people into groups by the gene copies they carry.
Every published finding on gene variants and Simvastatin. Upload your DNA file to see which of these rows apply to you.
PharmGKB weighs all studies of a variant and rates how strong the evidence is, from 1A (strongest) to 4.
SLCO1B1 SLCO1B1*1, SLCO1B1*5, SLCO1B1*15: Level 1A · replicated. Toxicity: statin-related myopathy. 14.
SLCO1B1 rs4149056: Level 1A · replicated. Toxicity: statin-related myopathy. 9.
SLCO1B1 rs4149056: Level 1A · replicated. Metabolism/PK. 9.
SLCO1B1 SLCO1B1*1, SLCO1B1*5, SLCO1B1*15: Level 1A · replicated. Metabolism/PK. 9.
Studies of how quickly the body processes this medication.
Studies of how well it worked in people carrying a variant.
Studies of how much of the drug people needed or tolerated.
Studies that do not fall into the groups above.
Study findings and evidence levels: PharmGKB (CC BY-SA 4.0). Guidelines: CPIC and DPWG, as bundled in PharmCAT. Most studies were done mainly in people of European ancestry.
More drugs from the same category
Not a prescribing recommendation. This page is educational information about pharmacogenomic research and clinical guidelines - it is not medical or dosing advice, and not a prediction of how any medication will work for you. Never start, stop, or change a medication or dose based on it; talk to your doctor or pharmacist, who can order clinical-grade testing if appropriate.
Content updated September 2026.
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