ROCKVILLE, MD. -- Combining cerivastatin and fenofibrate has "considerable clinical potential" for improving lipid profiles in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia, Dr. Sophie Megnien said in a poster presentation at the American College of Clinical Pharmacology.
She presented results of a randomized, multicenter study in Europe of over 300 men and women with primary hypercholesterolemia who received cerivastatin (0.3 mg/day), fenofibrate (200 mg/day), or a combination of both. Those on the combination took cerivastatin (0.3 mg/day) for 8 weeks; fenofibrate (200 mg/day) was added to the regimen for another 8 weeks.
After 16 weeks, those on combination therapy had a 41% reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels vs. a 28% reduction with cerivastatin monotherapy and a 21% reduction with fenofibrate monotherapy, which were significant differences, said Dr. Megnien of Bayer Pharma in Puteaux, France.
Triglycerides dropped by 37% in the combination group vs. 32% with fenofibrate monotherapy and almost 10% with cerivastatin. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels increased by 6% with cerivastatin and by 12% in the fenofibrate monotherapy and combination groups.
The combination therapy, not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, is prescribed by some endocrinologists in the United States and France, she added.
Bayer manufactures cerivastatin, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor marketed as Baycol in the United States. Fenofibrate, an inhibitor of triglyceride synthesis, is marketed as Tricor by Abbott.
COPYRIGHT 2000 International Medical News Group
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group
Contact
Home
A
Captagon