Lipophilicity predicts the ability of nonsulphonylurea drugs to block pancreatic beta-cell KATP channels and stimulate insulin secretion; statins as a test case.

The logP of a drug can aid prediction for its ability to block beta-cell KATP ion channels. However, although the IC 50 for the block of KATP by simvastatin was predicted, the difference between this and therapeutic levels, as well as serum sequestration, explains why hypoglycaemia is unlikely to be observed with acute use of this statin.