TY - JOUR
T1 - Early intensive vs a delayed conservative simvastatin strategy in patients with acute coronary syndromes
T2 - Phase Z of the A to Z trial
AU - de Lemos, James A
AU - Blazing, Michael A.
AU - Wiviott, Stephen D.
AU - Lewis, Eldrin F.
AU - Fox, Keith A A
AU - White, Harvey D.
AU - Rouleau, Jean Lucien
AU - Pedersen, Terje R.
AU - Gardner, Laura H.
AU - Mukherjee, Robin
AU - Ramsey, Karen E.
AU - Palmisano, Joanne
AU - Bilheimer, David W.
AU - Pfeffer, Marc A.
AU - Califf, Robert M.
AU - Braunwald, Eugene
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2004/9/15
Y1 - 2004/9/15
N2 - Context: Limited data are available evaluating how the timing and intensity of statin therapy following an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) event affect clinical outcome. Objective: To compare early initiation of an intensive statin regimen with delayed initiation of a less intensive regimen in patients with ACS. Design, Setting, and Participants: International, randomized, double-blind trial of patients with ACS receiving 40 mg/d of simvastatin for 1 month followed by 80 mg/d thereafter (n=2265) compared with ACS patients receiving placebo for 4 months followed by 20 mg/d of simvastatin (n=2232), who were enrolled in phase Z of the A to Z trial between December 29, 1999, and January 6, 2003. Main Outcome Measure: The primary end point was a composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, readmission for ACS, and stroke. Follow-up was for at least 6 months and up to 24 months. Results Among the patients in the placebo plus simvastatin group, the median low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level achieved while taking placebo was 122 mg/dL (3.16 mmol/L) at 1 month and was 77 mg/dL (1.99 mmol/L) at 8 months while taking 20 mg/d of simvastatin. Among the patients in the simvastatin only group, the median LDL cholesterol level achieved at 1 month while taking 40 mg/d of simvastatin was 68 mg/dL (1.76 mmol/L) and was 63 mg/dL (1.63 mmol/L) at 8 months while taking 80 mg/d of simvastatin. A total of 343 patients (16.7%) in the placebo plus simvastatin group experienced the primary end point compared with 309 (14.4%) in the simvastatin only group (40 mg/80 mg) (hazard ratio [HR], 0.89; 95% confidence interval [Cl] 0.76-1.04; P=.14). Cardiovascular death occurred in 109 (5.4%) and 83 (4.1 %) patients in the 2 groups (HR, 0.75; 95% Cl, 0.57-1.00; P = .05) but no differences were observed in other individual components of the primary end point. No difference was evident during the first 4 months between the groups for the primary end point (HR, 1.01; 95% Cl, 0.83-1.25; P=.89), but from 4 months through the end of the study the primary end point was significantly reduced in the simvastatin only group (HR, 0.75; 95% Cl, 0.60-0.95; P=.02). Myopathy (creatine kinase > 10 times the upper limit of normal associated with muscle symptoms) occurred in 9 patients (0.4%) receiving simvastatin 80 mg/d, in no patients receiving lower doses of simvastatin, and in 1 patient receiving placebo (P=.02). Conclusions: The trial did not achieve the prespecified end point. However, among patients with ACS, the early initiation of an aggressive simvastatin regimen resulted in a favorable trend toward reduction of major cardiovascular events.
AB - Context: Limited data are available evaluating how the timing and intensity of statin therapy following an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) event affect clinical outcome. Objective: To compare early initiation of an intensive statin regimen with delayed initiation of a less intensive regimen in patients with ACS. Design, Setting, and Participants: International, randomized, double-blind trial of patients with ACS receiving 40 mg/d of simvastatin for 1 month followed by 80 mg/d thereafter (n=2265) compared with ACS patients receiving placebo for 4 months followed by 20 mg/d of simvastatin (n=2232), who were enrolled in phase Z of the A to Z trial between December 29, 1999, and January 6, 2003. Main Outcome Measure: The primary end point was a composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, readmission for ACS, and stroke. Follow-up was for at least 6 months and up to 24 months. Results Among the patients in the placebo plus simvastatin group, the median low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level achieved while taking placebo was 122 mg/dL (3.16 mmol/L) at 1 month and was 77 mg/dL (1.99 mmol/L) at 8 months while taking 20 mg/d of simvastatin. Among the patients in the simvastatin only group, the median LDL cholesterol level achieved at 1 month while taking 40 mg/d of simvastatin was 68 mg/dL (1.76 mmol/L) and was 63 mg/dL (1.63 mmol/L) at 8 months while taking 80 mg/d of simvastatin. A total of 343 patients (16.7%) in the placebo plus simvastatin group experienced the primary end point compared with 309 (14.4%) in the simvastatin only group (40 mg/80 mg) (hazard ratio [HR], 0.89; 95% confidence interval [Cl] 0.76-1.04; P=.14). Cardiovascular death occurred in 109 (5.4%) and 83 (4.1 %) patients in the 2 groups (HR, 0.75; 95% Cl, 0.57-1.00; P = .05) but no differences were observed in other individual components of the primary end point. No difference was evident during the first 4 months between the groups for the primary end point (HR, 1.01; 95% Cl, 0.83-1.25; P=.89), but from 4 months through the end of the study the primary end point was significantly reduced in the simvastatin only group (HR, 0.75; 95% Cl, 0.60-0.95; P=.02). Myopathy (creatine kinase > 10 times the upper limit of normal associated with muscle symptoms) occurred in 9 patients (0.4%) receiving simvastatin 80 mg/d, in no patients receiving lower doses of simvastatin, and in 1 patient receiving placebo (P=.02). Conclusions: The trial did not achieve the prespecified end point. However, among patients with ACS, the early initiation of an aggressive simvastatin regimen resulted in a favorable trend toward reduction of major cardiovascular events.
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U2 - 10.1001/jama.292.11.1307
DO - 10.1001/jama.292.11.1307
M3 - Article
C2 - 15337732
AN - SCOPUS:4544243333
SN - 0098-7484
VL - 292
SP - 1307
EP - 1316
JO - JAMA
JF - JAMA
IS - 11
ER -