title: Statins, super-statins and cholesterol absorption inhibitors.
abstract: An elevated level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is an independent risk factor for premature coronary heart disease (CHD), with a value of > or = 160 mg/dl designated as high-risk by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panels I, II and III. Current goals of therapy for all patients with elevated LDL-C include reducing levels to: (i) < 160 mg/dl in those with < or = 1 CHD risk factor; (ii) < 130 mg/dl in those with more than or equal to 2 CHD risk factors; and (iii) < 100 mg/dl in patients with established CHD or CHD risk equivalents, one of which is diabetes. The discovery of drugs that inhibit 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR), the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis, constituted a major advance in the treatment of patients with elevated plasma concentrations of LDL-C. The efficacy of statins in LDL-lowering and CHD risk reduction has clearly been demonstrated in a number of primary and secondary intervention trials. Emerging options for the treatment of patients with elevated LDL-C include the super-statins rosuvastatin and pitavastatin, as well as the cholesterol absorption inhibitor ezetimibe. This article reviews large-scale clinical trials in which statins have been used to reduce LDL-C concentrations. Studies that have examined the efficacy and safety of rosuvastatin, pitavastatin and ezetimibe will also be discussed.
authors.affiliation: JM-USDA-HNRCA at Tufts University, Lipid Metabolism Laboratory, 711 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111, USA. margaret.brousseau@tufts.edu
authors.forename: Margaret E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Brousseau
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000097:blood; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors