Are statins beneficial for viral pneumonia?

R espiratory infections, primarily pneumonia and influenza, continue to be the leading infectious cause of death in the developed world [1, 2]. Despite the introduction of new classes of antibiotics there has been little progress in improving pneumonia-related outcomes since the widespread introduction of antibiotics in the 1940s [3]. In addition, there has been little progress on agents to potentially blunt mortality from another influenza pandemic [4]. Despite great hope for agents, such as drotrecogin alfa and corticosteroids, no new classes of medications have been conclusively demonstrated to improve clinical outcomes for viral or bacterial pneumonias. Therefore, additional treatments are critically needed to improve clinical outcomes for patients with pneumonia.