Mevastatin, compactin, ML-236B is a hypolipidemic agent

Hypolipidemic agent

Hypolipidemic agents, or antihyperlipidemic agents, are a diverse group of pharmaceuticals that are used in the treatment of hyperlipidemias. They are called lipid-lowering drugs or agents.- Classes of hypolipidemic drugs :...

 that belongs to the statin

Statin

Statins are a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol levels by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which plays a central role in the production of cholesterol in the liver. Increased cholesterol levels have been associated with cardiovascular diseases, and statins are therefore used in the...

s class.

It was isolated from the mold Penicillium citrinum by Akira Endo in the 1970s and he identified it as a HMG-CoA reductase

HMG-CoA reductase

HMG-CoA reductase is the rate-controlling enzyme of the mevalonate pathway, the metabolic pathway that produces cholesterol and other isoprenoids...

 inhibitor, i.e.; a statin. Mevastatin might be considered the first statin drug, but, although clinical trials on mevastatin were performed in the late 1970s in Japan, it was never marketed.The first statin drug available to the general public was lovastatin

Lovastatin

Lovastatin is a member of the drug class of statins, used for lowering cholesterol in those with hypercholesterolemia and so preventing cardiovascular disease...

.
In vitro it has antiproliferative properties.

High doses inhibit growth and proliferation of melanoma

Melanoma

Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. They predominantly occur in skin, but are also found in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye...

cells.