Source: Bone  |  Posted 8 years ago

A combination of ezetimibe plus lovastatin provides greater improvement to the lipid profile of patients with hypercholesterolemia than does lovastatin alone.

Co-administration of 10 milligrams each of ezetimibe and lovastatin provides safe and effect lipid management comparable to a high-dose of 40 milligrams lovastatin alone, investigators report.

The investigators, from Health Trends Research in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, conducted a multi-centre, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study including 548 patients with hypercholesterolemia.

Patients underwent a 2- to 12-week washout period followed by a 4-week placebo lead-in. They were then randomized to receive 10 milligrams (mg) ezetimibe alone; 10, 20 or 40 mg lovastatin alone; 10 mg each of ezetimibe plus 10, 20 or 40 mg lovastatin; or placebo.

Results showed that the combination of ezetimibe plus lovastatin significantly improved low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides compared with lovastatin alone.

Addition of ezetimibe improved decreases in LDL cholesterol by 14%, increases in HDL cholesterol by five% and decreases in triglycerides by 10% compared with lovastatin alone.

Overall, ezetimibe plus lovastatin co administration resulted in mean LDL cholesterol decreases of 33 to 45%, median triglyceride decreases of 19 to 27% and mean HDL cholesterol increases of eight to nine%.

Ten milligrams ezetimibe plus 10 mg lovastatin provided comparable results to 40 mg lovastatin across the lipid profile.

The combination of ezetimibe and lovastatin was well tolerated. Its safety profile was comparable to lovastatin alone and to placebo.