The clinical relevance of omega-3 fatty acids in the management of hypertriglyceridemia

Hypertriglyceridemia (triglycerides > 150 mg/dL) affects ~25 % of the United States (US) population and is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Severe hypertriglyceridemia (≥ 500 mg/dL) is also a risk factor for pancreatitis. Three omega-3 fatty acid (OM3FA) prescription formulations are approved in the US for the treatment of adults with severe hypertriglyceridemia: (1) OM3FA ethyl esters (OM3EE), a mixture of OM3FA ethyl esters, primarily eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (Lovaza®, Omtryg™, and generics); (2) icosapent ethyl (IPE), EPA ethyl esters (Vascepa®); and (3) omega-3 carboxylic acids (OM3CA), a mixture of OM3FAs in free fatty acid form, primarily EPA, DHA, and docosapentaenoic acid (Epanova®). At approved doses, all formulations substantially reduce triglyceride and very-low-density lipoprotein levels. DHA-containing formulations may also increase low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. However, this is not accompanied by increased non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which is thought to provide a better indication of cardiovascular risk in this patient population. Proposed mechanisms of action of OM3FAs include inhibition of diacylglycerol acyltransferase, increased plasma lipoprotein lipase activity, decreased hepatic lipogenesis, and increased hepatic β-oxidation. OM3CA bioavailability (area under the plasma concentration-time curve from zero to the last measurable concentration) is up to 4-fold greater than that of OM3FA ethyl esters, and unlike ethyl esters, the absorption of OM3CA is not dependent on pancreatic lipase hydrolysis. All three formulations are well tolerated (the most common adverse events are gastrointestinal) and demonstrate a lack of drug-drug interactions with other lipid-lowering drugs, such as statins and fibrates. OM3FAs appear to be an effective treatment option for patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia

A Comparison of Statin Therapies in Hypercholesterolemia in Women: A Subgroup Analysis of the STELLAR Study

Abstract Objective: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in women in the United States. Aggressive treatment of modifiable risk factors (e.g., hypercholesterolemia) is essential in reducing disease burden. Despite guidelines recommending the use of statin treatment in hypercholesterolemic women, this patient group is often undertreated. This subgroup analysis of the Statin Therapies for Elevated Lipid Levels compared Across doses to Rosuvastatin (STELLAR) trial examines the effects of statin therapy in hypercholesterolemic women. Methods: As part of the STELLAR trial, 1,146 women with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C ≥160 and <250 mg/dL) and triglycerides <400 mg/dL were randomized to rosuvastatin 10–40 mg, atorvastatin 10–80 mg, simvastatin 10–80 mg, or pravastatin 10–40 mg for 6 weeks. Results: LDL-C reduction with rosuvastatin 10 mg, atorvastatin 10 mg, simvastatin 20 mg, and pravastatin 40 mg was 49%, 39%, 37%, and 30%, respectively, after 6 weeks. High-intensity statins (rosuvastatin 20–40 mg and atorvastatin 40–80 mg) reduced LDL-C to the greatest extent: 53% with rosuvastatin 20 mg, 57% with rosuvastatin 40 mg, 47% with atorvastatin 40 mg, and 51% with atorvastatin 80 mg. Similar results were observed for non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C). Increases in HDL-C were greater with rosuvastatin across doses than with other statins. All treatments were well tolerated, with similar safety profiles across dose ranges. Conclusions: Statin therapies in the STELLAR trial led to reductions in LDL-C, non-HDL-C, and triglycerides and increases in HDL-C among hypercholesterolemic women, with rosuvastatin providing the greatest reductions in LDL-C and non-HDL-C

Statins in Chronic Kidney Disease: When and When Not to Use Them

This supplement reviews the evidence from clinical trials for the appropriate use of statins in patients with Chronic kidney disease (CKD)

Statins in Chronic Kidney Disease: When and When Not to Use Them.

This supplement reviews the evidence from clinical trials for the appropriate use of statins in patients with Chronic kidney disease (CKD)

Renal effects of atorvastatin and rosuvastatin in patients with diabetes who have progressive renal disease (PLANET I):a randomised clinical trial

Background The role of lipid-lowering treatments in renoprotection for patients with diabetes is debated. We studied the renal effects of two statins in patients with diabetes who had proteinuria. Methods PLANET I was a randomised, double-blind, parallel-group trial done in 147 research centres in Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Romania, and the USA. We enrolled patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes aged 18 years or older with proteinuria (urine protein: creatinine ratio [U-PCR] 500-5000 mg/g) and taking stable angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, or both. We randomly assigned participants to atorvastatin 80 mg, rosuvastatin 10 mg, or rosuvastatin 40 mg for 52 weeks. The primary endpoint was change from baseline to week 52 of mean U-PCR in each treatment group. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00296374. Findings We enrolled 353 patients: 118 were assigned to rosuvastatin 10 mg, 124 to rosuvastatin 40 mg, and 111 to atorvastatin 80 mg; of these, 325 were included in the intention-to-treat population. U-PCR baseline: week 52 ratio was 0.87 (95% CI 0.77-0.99; p= 0.033) with atorvastatin 80 mg, 1.02 (0.88-1.18; p= 0.83) with rosuvastatin 10 mg, and 0.96 (0.83-1.11; p= 0.53) with rosuvastatin 40 mg. In a post-hoc analysis to compare statins, we combined data from PLANET I with those from PLANET II (a similar randomised parallel study of 237 patients with proteinuria but without diabetes; registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00296400). In this analysis, atorvastatin 80 mg lowered U-PCR significantly more than did rosuvastatin 10 mg (-15.6%, 95% CI -28.3 to -0.5; p= 0.043) and rosuvastatin 40 mg (-18.2%, -30.2 to -4.2; p= 0.013). Adverse events occurred in 69 (60%) of 116 patients in the rosuvastatin 10 mg group versus 79 (64%) of 123 patients in the rosuvastatin 40 mg group versus 63 (57%) of 110 patients in the atorvastatin 80 mg group; renal events occurred in nine (7.8%) versus 12 (9.8%) versus five (4.5%). Interpretation Despite high-dose rosuvastatin lowering plasma lipid concentrations to a greater extent than did high-dose atorvastatin, atorvastatin seems to have more renoprotective effects for the studied chronic kidney disease population