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Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
Statins Not Only Reduce Cholesterol 70 Percent but
also Reduce Life-Threatening Inflammation
September 6, 2006 - Research conducted at the
Methodist DeBakey Heart Center in Houston shows that a combination
statin therapy already proven to lower bad cholesterol by a dramatic 70
percent, now has the added benefit of reducing life-threatening
inflammation that can lead to heart disease.
The new results show 46 percent reduction in
C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker for inflammation, in patients treated
with 40 mg of rosuvastatin and 10 mg ezetimibe.
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Inflammation can lead to serious complications
such as heart attack and stroke, and high levels of CRP can predict
these risks years before they actually occur, said Dr. Christie
Ballantyne, cardiologist at the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center and
principle investigator for the study.
Physicians have long relied on blood cholesterol
as a key indicator of cardiovascular risk, but recent research suggests
that high risk patients who achieved a low CRP level combined with a low
LDL-c level had the fewest cardiovascular events.
The study looked at data from 465 patients in five
different countries. A combination treatment regimen of 40 mg of
rosuvastatin (Crestor) and 10 mg of ezetimibe (Zetia) demonstrated a 46
percent reduction in levels of CRP in high-risk patients.
In six weeks, the combination regimen also helped
58 percent of patients achieve dual goals of lowering CRP and LDL-c (bad
cholesterol).
These post-hoc analysis findings from the EXPLORER
study will be presented for the first time this week at the World
Congress of Cardiology in Barcelona.
Previous EXPLORER results released at ISA in June
showed high-risk patients achieved an unprecedented 70 percent reduction
in LDL-c using combination therapy.
The highly effective reductions in both LDL-c and
CRP seen in the EXPLORER study provide a new opportunity for high-risk
patients to achieve optimal reduction in both factors with combination
therapy, Ballantyne said.
Key findings from EXPLORER:
● Significantly more patients (58% vs. 24%)
achieved an LDL-C <100 mg/dL or <70 mg/dL (depending on risk category)
and CRP <2 mg/L at six weeks with Crestor 40mg and Zetia 10mg compared
with Crestor 40 mg monotherapy.
● Crestor and Zetia reduced CRP levels by 46%
compared with 29% with Crestor monotherapy.
● Crestor and Zetia also reduced mean LDL-C by
an unprecedented 70%.
● Significantly (p<0.001) more patients achieved
their NCEP ATP III LDL-C goal of <100 mg/dL (94% vs 79%) at six weeks
with Crestor and Zetia compared with Crestor monotherapy.
● Both CRESTOR monotherapy and CRESTOR combined
with ezetimibe produced similar increases in HDL-C (good cholesterol)
(8.5% vs. 10.8%).
● CRESTOR and ezetimibe were both well
tolerated.
About EXPLORER
EXPLORER (Examination of Potential Lipid modifying
effects Of Rosuvastatin in combination with Ezetimibe versus
Rosuvastatin alone) was a 12-week, randomized trial of 469 patients with
LDL-C 160-<250 mg/dL (4.1-<6.5 mmol/L) designed to evaluate whether
adding ezetimibe to CRESTOR would enable more patients with severely
high cholesterol to achieve guideline lipid goals compared with CRESTOR
monotherapy. Patients participated in a six-week dietary lead-in
followed by six weeks of randomized treatment with rosuvastatin 40 mg
alone or in combination with ezetimibe 10 mg.
About the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center
The Methodist DeBakey Heart Center is a world-renowned organization that
is continuing the ground-breaking work begun by famed heart care
pioneer, Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, and his associates, who developed many
of today's life-saving techniques, tools and procedures at The Methodist
Hospital.
Located in Houston, the Methodist DeBakey Heart
Center combines research, prevention, diagnostic care, surgery and
rehabilitation services in a coordinated multi-disciplinary program with
one focus: delivering compassionate, effective care and treatment to
patients with heart disease. Patient care teams provide the full range
of cardiac care, ensuring high-quality care and satisfaction to those
served.
Experience, combined with the latest advances in technology and
research, allows patients to access the best possible care and treatment
in a caring, spiritual environment.
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