Rosuvastatin and Cardiovascular Disease: Did the Strongest Statin Hold the Initial Promises?From the Atherosclerosis Outpatient Clinic, 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, Aristotle's University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece, a_efthimiadis{at}hotmail.com Rosuvastatin is the latest and most potent statin currently on the market. It has the greatest efficacy compared with all other available statins on total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction, and also provides a significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) better than atorvastatin. Imaging studies showed a regression of atheroma in secondary prevention patients using an intravascular ultrasound technique and a hold of progression in primary prevention patients using carotid intima—media thickness as a surrogate marker. The JUPITER trial, a primary prevention large-scale, prospective study to examine the role of statin therapy in individuals with raised C-reactive protein but normal LDL-C levels, was recently terminated early due to a significant reduction of events in the rosuvastatin group. Rosuvastatin has held its initial promises as a very potent statin, with favourable effects on HDL, showing a regression or a halt of the atherosclerotic burden and reducing cardiovascular events in low-risk patients.
Key Words: rosuvastatin • statin • imaging • intravascular ultrasound
This version was published on August
1, 2008 Angiology, Vol. 59, No. 2 suppl,
62S-64S (2008) This article has been cited by other articles:
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