Conditions: Kidney Disease, Chronic
Keywords: Kidney Disease, Chronic LDL cholesterol simvastatin ezetimibe cardiovascular disease atherosclerosis
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 9438
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The chief aim of SHARP was to determine whether lowering blood LDL cholesterol with simvastatin (20mg) plus ezetimibe (10mg) daily could safely reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, non-hemorrhagic stroke and the need for revascularization procedures in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). It also aimed to assess whether lowering LDL cholesterol reduced the rate of loss of renal function in people with CKD who had not commenced dialysis treatment.

Detailed description:
The SHARP (Study of Heart and Renal Protection) was a double-blind placebo-controlled trial which aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of reducing LDL cholesterol in more than 9,000 patients with chronic kidney disease (about 3,000 of whom were on dialysis at randomization).

Patients were randomly assigned to simvastatin 20 mg plus ezetimibe 10 mg daily versus matching placebo (a subset of these patients had previously received simvastatin 20mg only and were then randomly re-assigned to receive simvastatin 20mg plus ezetimibe 10mg or placebo at one year). Details of the SHARP trial design and methods have been reported previously (reference: Am Heart J 2010; 160:785-94.).

SHARP was overseen by an independent Steering Committee that included nephrologists, cardiologists, clinical trialists, and statisticians, with 2 non-voting observers from the main funder (Merck/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals). The independent sponsor was the University of Oxford, and the trial was funded by Merck/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, the British Heart Foundation and the UK Medical Research Council.

In October 2009, the Steering Committee decided (blind to the effects of study treatment on clinical outcomes) to change the original protocol-specified primary outcome to a revised key outcome of major atherosclerotic events, defined as the combination of non-fatal myocardial infarction, coronary death, ischemic stroke, or any revascularization procedure (i.e. exclusion of non-coronary cardiac deaths and strokes confirmed to be hemorrhagic from the original major vascular event outcome). These and other changes are described in the revised statistical analysis plan for SHARP (reference: Am Heart J 2010; 160:785-94.). Accordingly, the chief emphasis of the published results (reference: Lancet 2011; 377:2181-92) is on the revised pre-specified key outcome of first major atherosclerotic events.

Arms:
arm 1: Placebo = Arm 1. A double-dummy method ensured that patients and study staff were unaware of the treatment allocation, with all Arm 1 patients taking 2 tablets (placebo simvastatin plus ezetimibe tablet with a placebo simvastatin tablet) during the first year. After the first year, all Arm 1 patients took one tablet (placebo simvastatin plus ezetimibe tablet). arm 2: Simvastatin 20mg plus ezetimibe 10mg = Arm 2. A double-dummy method ensured that patients and study staff were unaware of the treatment allocation, with all Arm 2 patients taking 2 tablets during the first year (active simvastatin plus ezetimibe tablet with a placebo simvastatin tablet). After the first year, all Arm 2 patients took one tablet (active simvastatin 20mg plus ezetimibe 10mg tablet). arm 3: Simvastatin 20mg alone = Arm 3. After 1 year, those initially allocated to Arm 3 were re-randomized to simvastatin 20mg plus ezetimibe 10mg (Arm 3b) daily or placebo (Arm 3a). A double-dummy method ensured that patients and study staff were unaware of the treatment allocation, with Arm 3 patients taking 2 tablets (a placebo simvastatin plus ezetimibe tablet with an active simvastatin tablet) during the first year. After the first year, all Arm 3a and Arm 3b patients took one tablet (active or placebo simvastatin plus ezetimibe tablet).

Interventions: intervention 1: Simvastatin 20 mg intervention 2: Ezetimibe 10mg intervention 3: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Once daily intervention 2: Once daily intervention 3: Once daily

Protocol document: