(A) Type 1 statins (SMV, LVS, and PRV) are derived from fungi and have similar chemical structures. (B) Type 2 statins (ATV, FLV, PTV, and RSV) are synthetic compounds which bind more tightly with HMG-CoA reductase. (C) Selected non-antibiotic drugs from other pharmacological classes with antibacterial activity against S. aureus. The dihydroxy acid moiety (in PRV, ATV, FLV, PTV, and RSV) is required for HMG-CoA reductase inhibition, while the lactone group (in SMV and LVS) must by metabolised to the dihydroxy acid moiety before HMG-CoA reductase inhibition may occur. Drugs marked (†) possess antibacterial activity against S. aureus. Two methyl groups arranged in a tetrahedral (*) or similar trigonal pyramidal (#) molecular geometry may be important for such antibacterial activity. ATV, atorvastatin; FLV, fluvastatin; HMG-CoA, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A; LVS, lovastatin; PRV, pravastatin; PTV, pitavastatin; RSV, rosuvastatin; SMV, simvastatin.