Clinical Outcomes in Statin Treatment Trials

Abstract

STATINS ARE a class of agents that lower plasma cholesterol levels by inhibiting hepatic hydroxymethyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase. The long-term clinical efficacy for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular outcomes has been difficult to establish because of the enormous sample sizes and lengthy durations such trials require. The efficacy of statin treatment in preventing cardiovascular deaths has been documented in a few large multicenter trials (the Cholesterol and Recurrent Events Trial^1-3 and the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study [WOSCOPS]^4-9); however, long-term studies reporting efficacy in the reduction of all-cause mortality and other types of nonfatal cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke, are either ongoing or lacking.