Statins are 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors that reduce the risks of acute cardiac events and death.Although widely used for their lipid-lowering effects, statins are also reported to have antiinflammatory effects.Multiple retrospective studies have shown that statins are beneficial in COPD. Reported benefits include reductions in rates of hospitalization (for COPD or any other reason), lung-function decline, the need for mechanical ventilation, and death. However, except for one small, single-center, randomized study,all the studies that have shown beneficial effects of statins in patients with COPD have been retrospective. The Prospective Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial of Simvastatin in the Prevention of COPD Exacerbations (STATCOPE) was a prospective, multicenter trial conducted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) COPD Clinical Research Network to examine the effect of daily treatment with simvastatin for at least 12 months (range, 12 to 36) on the rate of exacerbations among patients with moderate-to-severe COPD and no other indications for statin treatment.