An extended-release formulation of fluvastatin that allows once-a-day dosing appears to be as safe as the standard twice-daily regimen and produces a greater reduction in LDL cholesterol levels, reported Dr. Christie Ballantyne of Baylor University; Houston, and associates.
In a prospective trial at 13 U.S. medical centers, 120 hypercholesterolemic patients were randomly assigned to receive 6 weeks of standard fluvastatin (40 mg twice daily), an extended-release formulation (80 mg once daily), or a higher-dose extended-release formulation (160 mg once daily).
The 160-mg group had a significantly greater mean decrease in LDL cholesterol (41%) than did the 80-mg group (35%) or the 40-mg group (29%). Almost two-thirds of the high-dose group had cholesterol reductions exceeding 40%, compared with one-third of the 80-mg group and 10% of the 40-mg group. The high-dose extended-release formulation was well tolerated (Am. J. Cardiol. 86[7]:759-63, 2000).
Once-daily dosing may improve compliance with statin therapy, they noted.
COPYRIGHT 2001 International Medical News Group
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group
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