A 12-week Study to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of Fixed Combinations of Fenofibrate/Simvastatin 145/20mg and Fenofibrate/Simvastatin 145/40mg Tablets Versus Fenofibrate or Simvastatin Monotherapies in Subjects With Abnormal Blood Levels of Fats (Lipids) and at High Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

This is a double-blind, randomized study designed to compare the efficacy and safety of two fixed combinations of fenofibrate / simvastatin 145/20 mg and fenofibrate / simvastatin 145/40 mg tablets vs. matching monotherapies in subjects with abnormal fat (lipids) in the blood and at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Fenofibrate is a treatment that lowers fat in blood. It is prescribed in patients with high levels of triglycerides (TG). The drug has been marketed in more than 80 countries since 1975. Simvastatin is also used for the treatment of patients with a high level of cholesterol. These have also been marketed worldwide for more than 20 years. It is important to treat high levels of fats in the blood because it has been shown that even mildly elevated level of lipids in the blood can lead to diseases of the blood vessels. It has been shown in several studies and in clinical practice that the combination of fenofibrate plus simvastatin can lead to improved effects on blood fats, compared to treatment with simvastatin or fenofibrate alone. The main objective of the study is to compare the efficacy of the two fixed-combinations (FC) -fenofibrate/simvastatin 145/20 mg tablet and fenofibrate/simvastatin 145/40 mg tablet in reducing TG and increasing high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) versus simvastatin 20 mg or 40 mg, and in reducing low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) versus fenofibrate 145 mg.


Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Either gender (tentatively 50 percent females to be included and if of childbearing potential she must agree to use medically acceptable methods of contraception from the time of signing the informed consent until 7 days following administration of the last treatment or dose of study medication). Accepted contraceptive methods are implants, injectables, combined oral contraceptives, intra-uterine device or sexual abstinence.
2. between 18 (inclusive) and 80 years
3. With mixed dyslipidemia with fasting lipid results of a blood sample taken at inclusion and after at least 3 months of any statin monotherapy (excluding simvastatin 80 mg, atorvastatin 40 mg and 80 mg, rosuvastatin 20 mg and 40 mg):

   * TG higher than/equal to 1.71 mmol/L (higher than/equal to 150 mg/dL) and
   * LDL-C higher or equal to 1.81 mmol/L (higher or equal 70 mg/dL) but smaller than/equal to 3.36 mmol/L (smaller than/equal to 130 mg/dL)
4. High risk or very high risk based on known CardioVascular Disease (CVD) or type 2 diabetes or type 1 diabetes with microalbuminuria or a Systematic Coronary Risk Estimation (SCORE) chart risk ≥ 5percent
5. Aspartate aminotransferase and/or alanine aminotransferase smaller than/equal to 2 times the Upper Normal of Limit (UNL)

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Known hypersensitivity to fibrates or simvastatin or known photoallergic or phototoxic reactions under treatment with fibrates or ketoprofen or known allergic reactions caused by peanuts, peanuts or arachis oil or soy lecithin, or related products,
2. Pregnant or lactating women,
3. Unable or unwilling to comply with the protocol and the recommended diet,
4. Likely to withdraw from the study before its completion,
5. Having received an investigational drug or vaccine in the last 30 days before date of inclusion, or still participating in such a trial at Visit 1