Statins and Erectile Dysfunction: Results of a Case/Non-Case Study using the French Pharmacovigilance System Database

Background: HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, more commonly called statins, are widely used in the pharmacological management of hyperlipidaemias. The most common adverse drug reactions (ADRs) of statins are muscular. Other reported ADRs of statins along with other lipid-lowering drugs, namely fibrates, include erectile dysfunction (ED). The relationship between ED and exposure to statins has not clearly been established even though a number of significant case reports have associated ED with exposure to statins.