The recently published Assessment of Survival and Cardiovascular Events (AURORA) trial showed that rosuvastatin (10 mg/d) compared with placebo did not result in a significant reduction in vascular events despite a 43% fall in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The reasons for this and previous negative findings are discussed. In contrast, there is evidence that statins exert a nephroprotective action in less advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). There is need for further trials to establish if patients at various stages of CKD will benefit from statin treatment in terms of both nephroprotection and reduction in vascular events.