Effectiveness of Combination Therapy With Statin and Another Lipid-Modifying Agent Compared With Intensified Statin Monotherapy
Authors: Tetsuro Tsujimoto, Ritsuko Yamamoto-Honda
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2014)

Letters4 November 2014Effectiveness of Combination Therapy With Statin and Another Lipid-Modifying Agent Compared With Intensified Statin MonotherapyTetsuro Tsujimoto, MD and Ritsuko Yamamoto-Honda, MD, PhDTetsuro Tsujimoto, MDFrom National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.Search for more papers by this author and Ritsuko Yamamoto-Honda, MD, PhDFrom National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L14-5021-2 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Gudzune and colleagues (1) have reported a study on the effect of combination therapy with statin and other lipid-modifying agents, such as bile acid sequestrants and ezetimibe. This study had several important findings about combination therapy but also had several substantial problems, and the results should be carefully interpreted from various perspectives. It, indeed, revealed that combination therapy significantly decreased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels compared with mid- to high-intensity statin monotherapy. However, this finding does not mean that combination therapy is better than statin monotherapy.Combination therapy may not be superior to high-intensity statin monotherapy at improving ...References1. Gudzune KA, Monroe AK, Sharma R, Ranasinghe PD, Chelladurai Y, Robinson KA. >Effectiveness of combination therapy with statin and another lipid-modifying agent compared with intensified statin monotherapy: a systematic review. Ann Intern Med. 2014;160:468-76. [PMID: 24514899] doi:10.7326/M13-2526 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Sharma M, Ansari MT, Abou-Setta AM, Soares-Weiser K, Ooi TC, Sears M, et al. Systematic review: comparative effectiveness and harms of combination therapy and monotherapy for dyslipidemia. Ann Intern Med. 2009;151:622-30. [PMID: 19884623] doi:10.7326/0003-4819-151-9-200911030-00144 LinkGoogle Scholar3. Davignon J. Beneficial cardiovascular pleiotropic effects of statins. Circulation. 2004;109:III39-43. [PMID: 15198965] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Pletcher MJ, Lazar L, Bibbins-Domingo K, Moran A, Rodondi N, Coxson P, et al. Comparing impact and cost-effectiveness of primary prevention strategies for lipid-lowering. Ann Intern Med. 2009;150:243-54. [PMID: 19221376] LinkGoogle Scholar5. Peto R, Emberson J, Landray M, Baigent C, Collins R, Clare R, et al. Analyses of cancer data from three ezetimibe trials. N Engl J Med. 2008;359:1357-66. [PMID: 18765432] doi:10.1056/NEJMsa0806603 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Tetsuro Tsujimoto, MD; Ritsuko Yamamoto-Honda, MD, PhDAffiliations: From National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L14-0259. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoEffectiveness of Combination Therapy With Statin and Another Lipid-Modifying Agent Compared With Intensified Statin Monotherapy Kimberly A. Gudzune , Anne K. Monroe , Ritu Sharma , Padmini D. Ranasinghe , Yohalakshmi Chelladurai , and Karen A. Robinson Effectiveness of Combination Therapy With Statin and Another Lipid-Modifying Agent Compared With Intensified Statin Monotherapy Kimberly A. Gudzune , Anne K. Monroe , Ritu Sharma , Padmini D. Ranasinghe , Yohalakshmi Chelladurai , and Karen A. Robinson Metrics 4 November 2014Volume 161, Issue 9Page: 678-679KeywordsAtherosclerotic cardiovascular diseaseBileCardiovascular therapyCholesterolConflicts of interestDisclosureLow density lipoproteinStatins ePublished: 4 November 2014 Issue Published: 4 November 2014 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2014 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...