Thousands of lives could be saved by combining statins with another cholesterol-lowering drug, according to new research.
The largest analysis to examine the best way to lower levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol in patients with blocked arteries shows that they should immediately be given a combination of a statin and another drug, called ezetimibe, rather than statins alone.
The combination therapy should be considered the ‘gold standard’ of treatment for patients who have already had a heart attack and could prevent thousands of deaths every year, say scientists.
Researchers analysed the findings of 14 previous studies involving 108,353 patients who were at ‘very high’ risk of a heart attack or stroke, or who had already suffered one of the other.
Thousands of lives could be saved by combining statins with another cholesterol-lowering drug, according to new research
New research has revealed that the best way to lower levels of bad cholesterol in patients with blocked arteries is to treat them with a combination of statin and ezetimibe
The study, published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, showed that when ezetimibe was combined with a high dose statin to reduce levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), there was a ‘significant’ 19 per cent reduction in the risk of death from any cause.
There was also a 16 per cent reduction in deaths from cardiovascular causes, and a ‘significant’ reduction in the major adverse cardiovascular events or stroke by 18 per cent and 17 per cent respectively, compared to high doses of statins alone.
Study co-author Professor Peter Toth, of the University of Illinois in the US, said: ‘This study confirms that combined cholesterol lowering therapy should be considered immediately and should be the gold standard for treatment of very high-risk patients after an acute cardiovascular event.’
