AstraZeneca study shows statin therapy reduces arterial plaque
Full results from AstraZeneca's SATURN study, presented in November 2011, demonstrated that intensive statin treatment effectively reduces atherosclerotic plaque burden in patients.
AstraZeneca announced full results from the SATURN (Study of Coronary Atheroma by Intravascular Ultrasound: Effect of Rosuvastatin Versus Atorvastatin) study in November 2011. The trial demonstrated that aggressive statin therapy can lower LDL-C cholesterol to below 70 mg/dL and reduce plaque buildup in the heart's arteries.
The two-year study compared rosuvastatin (CRESTOR) 40mg and atorvastatin 80mg. Both treatments led to a statistically significant reduction in percent atheroma volume (PAV) as measured by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). While rosuvastatin showed a numerically greater reduction, the difference between the two drugs was not statistically significant for the primary endpoint (-1.22% vs. -0.99%).
However, for the secondary endpoint, normalized total atheroma volume (TAV), rosuvastatin demonstrated a statistically significant reduction compared to atorvastatin (-6.39 mm3 vs. -4.42 mm3; p=0.01). The study also found statistically significant differences in lipid parameters, with rosuvastatin achieving lower LDL-C levels (62.6 vs. 70.2 mg/dL) and higher HDL-C levels (50.4 vs. 48.6 mg/dL) compared to atorvastatin.
Significantly more patients on rosuvastatin achieved an LDL-C below 70 mg/dL (72.1% vs. 56.1%). The safety and tolerability profiles for both statins were consistent with previous studies. The findings were presented at the American Heart Association Annual Scientific Sessions and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.