Similar trends were observed for changes in total cholesterol .
Implication sGiven the available data , the addition of ezetimibe to ongoing simvastatin , atorvastatin , or rosuvastatin monotherapy offers greater reduction in LDL-C among patients at high risk of CVD compared to doubling the initial statin dose
Purpose While statins are used as first-line treatments for high-risk patients with hypercholesterolemia , statin monotherapy is often insufficient to achieve target low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL-C ) levels .
Second-line treatment options include up-titration of statin dose , switching to a more potent statin , or combination therapy , e.g. , with ezetimibe .
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of adding ezetimibe to simvastatin , atorvastatin , or rosuvastatin monotherapy versus doubling the dosage or switching to a higher-potency statin in a population of patients with hypocholesterolemia at high risk of cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) and who had been previously treated with a statin .
Efficacy and safety of ezetimibe added on to atorvastatin (20 mg) versus uptitration of atorvastatin (to 40 mg) in hypercholesterolemic patients at moderately high risk for coronary heart disease.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ezetimibe 10 mg added to atorvastatin 20 mg compared with doubling atorvastatin to 40 mg in patients with hypercholesterolemia at moderately high risk for coronary heart disease who did not reach low-density lipoprotein ( LDL ) cholesterol levels < 100 mg/dl with atorvastatin 20 mg . In this 6-week , multicenter , double-blind , r and omized , parallel-group study , 196 patients treated with atorvastatin 20 mg received atorvastatin 20 mg plus ezetimibe 10 mg or atorvastatin 40 mg for 6 weeks . Adding ezetimibe 10 mg to atorvastatin 20 mg produced significantly greater reductions in LDL cholesterol than increasing atorvastatin to 40 mg ( -31 % vs -11 % , p < 0.001 ) . Significantly greater reductions were also seen in non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol , total cholesterol , and apolipoprotein B ( p < 0.001 ) . Significantly more patients reached LDL cholesterol levels < 100 mg/dl with atorvastatin 20 mg plus ezetimibe compared with atorvastatin 40 mg ( 84 % vs 49 % , p < 0.001 ) . The 2 treatment groups had comparable results for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol , triglycerides , apolipoprotein A-I , and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein . The incidences of clinical and laboratory adverse experiences were generally similar between groups . In conclusion , the addition of ezetimibe 10 mg to atorvastatin 20 mg was generally well tolerated and result ed in significantly greater lipid-lowering efficacy compared with doubling atorvastatin to 40 mg in patients with hypercholesterolemia at moderately high risk for coronary heart disease
Similar trends were observed for changes in total cholesterol .
Implication sGiven the available data , the addition of ezetimibe to ongoing simvastatin , atorvastatin , or rosuvastatin monotherapy offers greater reduction in LDL-C among patients at high risk of CVD compared to doubling the initial statin dose
Purpose While statins are used as first-line treatments for high-risk patients with hypercholesterolemia , statin monotherapy is often insufficient to achieve target low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL-C ) levels .
Second-line treatment options include up-titration of statin dose , switching to a more potent statin , or combination therapy , e.g. , with ezetimibe .
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of adding ezetimibe to simvastatin , atorvastatin , or rosuvastatin monotherapy versus doubling the dosage or switching to a higher-potency statin in a population of patients with hypocholesterolemia at high risk of cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) and who had been previously treated with a statin .