Efficacy and safety of triple therapy (fluvastatin-bezafibrate-cholestyramine) for severe familial hypercholesterolemia.

Familial hypercholesterolemia carries a markedly increased risk of coronary artery disease. Reduction of plasma low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels to the normal range may prevent premature atherosclerosis and usually requires a combination of cholesterol-lowering drugs such as 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors plus resins or fibrates. The current, 60-week, open-label investigation involved 22 patients whose plasma LDL-C had not reached the target level for prevention of coronary artery disease in 3 previous studies using fluvastatin alone and in combination with other cholesterol-lowering medications.

Fluvastatin in primary hypercholesterolemia: efficacy and safety in patients at high risk. An analysis of a clinical trial database.

Patients with primary hypercholesterolemia and established coronary artery disease (CAD) with additional associated risk factors for atherosclerosis are considered for lipid-lowering drug therapy at lower levels of total and/or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) than are patients with isolated hypercholesterolemia. As regards prevention of cardiovascular morbid events, high-risk patients are expected to receive the most benefit from lipid-lowering treatment. Thus, it is of interest to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of the new lipid-lowering agent fluvastatin, a new, wholly synthetic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor, in patients at high risk.

Fluvastatin in familial hypercholesterolemia: a cohort analysis of the response to combination treatment.

A recent randomized, double-blind, double-dummy trial revealed differences in the response of patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia to combination therapy with the new, wholly synthetic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor fluvastatin, 20 mg/day and then 40 mg/day, plus the fibric acid analogue bezafibrate, 400 mg/day, vs combination therapy with fluvastatin, 40 mg/day, plus the bile acid sequestrant (resin) cholestyramine, 8 g/day. The main purpose of the present cohort analysis was to determine whether these differences in lipid response were related to imbalances in the patients' prior responses to up to 42 weeks of fluvastatin monotherapy, 20 mg/day, 40 mg/day, and, in some patients, 60 mg/day, in 2 earlier studies. For the present analysis, we identified 18 patients in the fluvastatin plus bezafibrate group (cohort 1) and 16 patients in the fluvastatin plus cholestyramine group (cohort 2) for whom complete dose-response data were available for the full 56-week duration of all 3 studies.

Efficacy and safety of a combination fluvastatin-bezafibrate treatment for familial hypercholesterolemia: comparative analysis with a fluvastatin-cholestyramine combination.

Purpose: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) carries a markedly increased risk for coronary artery disease (CAD). Reduction of plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels to the normal range may prevent premature atherosclerosis and usually requires a combination of cholesterol-lowering drugs. The major objective of this study is to compare two different drug combinations for the treatment of heterozygous FH.

Efficacy and safety of fluvastatin in women with primary hypercholesterolaemia.

Women with primary hypercholesterolaemia are often considered for lipid-lowering drug therapy at a later age than men. With regard to the prevention of cardiovascular morbidity, women can expect to receive the same benefits from lipid-lowering treatment as men. Thus, it is of interest to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of the new lipid-lowering agent fluvastatin in women.