Rosuvastatin and Vascular Events

[blike]

For those of you who follow medicine, an important and controversial trial was just published in the New England Journal of Medicine this month (actually gets published in print tomorrow). This is one of those landmark studies that will be talked about for years in the medical community, particularly amongst cardiologists and internists.

 

Rosuvastatin to Prevent Vascular Events in Men and Women with Elevated C-Reactive Protein N Engl J Med 2008 359: 2195-220, available online free from the NEJM.

 

The NEJM has also opened up a comment section titled "The JUPITER Trial: Will You Change Your Practice?" available until Nov. 26th online here. There are some insightful comments posted.

[ecoli]

care to explain the study for us?

[iNow]

Blike would most certainly do a much better job than I, but at first glance...

 

A bunch of otherwise healthy people who wouldn't likely be recommended for treatment for anything were put on this pill. The pill dramatically reduced heart related issues like stroke and heart attack, as well as improved cholesterol, all without side effects on other organs or increased cancer incidence. There were slightly more diabetes diagnoses for the treatment group, but too few to throw away the possibility that this was just chance.

 

They limited their treatment group somewhat specifically, so still need to see if the results will replicate in other more general representations of the population, and also need to conduct long term tests to ensure safety with chronic use.

 

In sum, though... This pill seems pretty badass at helping the heart and heart related issues, very significantly, in fact, even in people classified as healthy by current standards.

[Interferon]

Has anyone come across use of the "4 - week run in phase" in clinical trials before,

I think that's pretty impressive, although I gess with AstraZeneca sponsorship anything is possible.