Statin News and Research

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Statins are drugs used to lower cholesterol. Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly. But if you have too much in your blood, it can stick to the walls of your arteries, narrowing or even blocking them.

Review: Omega-3 fatty acids may still help prevent heart disease

Literally hundreds of clinical trials, including some that have gained widespread attention, have been done on the possible benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for the prevention of heart disease - producing conflicting results, varied claims, and frustrated consumers unsure what to believe.

29 Nov 2012

Buying mail-order medications may encourage patients to stick their treatments

Patients newly prescribed a cholesterol-lowering medication were more likely to pick it up from the pharmacy if they received automated phone and mail reminders, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine today.

27 Nov 2012

People more likely to take heart medicines in combo pill

People are much more likely to take heart medicines if they're combined in one pill, according to a late-breaking clinical trial presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012.

7 Nov 2012

Treatment with AMG 145 reduces LDL cholesterol

Amgen today announced that results from the LAPLACE-TIMI 57 and MENDEL Phase 2 studies evaluating AMG 145 in hypercholesterolemic patients with or without statins, respectively, showed that treatment with AMG 145 resulted in a statistically significant reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

7 Nov 2012

AMG 145 can reduce LDL cholesterol levels by up to 66% after 12 weeks

For many people with high cholesterol, statins serve as the first line of treatment. However, some patients are unable to effectively reduce their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) or "bad cholesterol" levels with statins, the most commonly used medication to treat high cholesterol, due to their bodies' inability to tolerate or sufficiently respond to the medicine.

7 Nov 2012

Data from four Phase 2 trials of AMG 145 to be presented at AHA Scientific Sessions 2012

Amgen will present data from four Phase 2 trials of AMG 145, an investigational fully human monoclonal antibody directed against PCSK9, a protein that reduces the liver's ability to remove low density lipoprotein cholesterol, or "bad" cholesterol from the blood, at the upcoming American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2012.

3 Nov 2012

Study results show ongoing comparison of prescription drug costs between US and UK

In the United States, the cost paid for statins (drugs to lower cholesterol) in people under the age of 65 who have private insurance continues to exceed comparable costs paid by the government in the United Kingdom by more than three fold.

3 Nov 2012

Apolipoprotein E plays a major role in maintaining arterial softness

Arterial stiffening has long been considered a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Keeping arteries soft and supple might reduce disease risk, but the mechanisms of how arteries stave off hardening has remained elusive.

2 Nov 2012

High blood cholesterol far more common than previously recognized

High blood cholesterol, a serious hereditary disease, is far more common than previously recognised and not treated sufficiently.

2 Nov 2012

Cilostazol reduces restenosis after angioplasty in critical limb ischemia

The quinolinone derivative cilostazol may be associated with reduced restenosis, reocclusion, and clinically driven target lesion revascularization 3 months after infrapopliteal angioplasty, researchers say.

30 Oct 2012

Protective association between statin use and esophageal cancer

Statins, a cholesterol lowering drug may lower the risk of esophageal cancer, especially in patients with Barrett's esophagus, Mayo Clinic researchers report in a study being presented at the American College of Gastroenterology annual meeting.

23 Oct 2012

Statin use may improve overall survival and reduce risk of recurrence in resected NSCLC patients

Patients who have undergone resection for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may improve their overall survival and reduce the risk of recurrence by taking statins.

22 Oct 2012

Reduced copayment policy has benefits all round

Reducing patients’ copayments for statins and clopidogrel could increase their adherence without adding financial burden to the healthcare system, researchers say.

18 Oct 2012

Health benefits of fibrate add-on detected postprandially

Adding fenofibrate to statin treatment significantly improves postprandial triglyceride response over statin treatment alone in individuals with diabetes, show findings from a US study.

18 Oct 2012

Health benefits of fibrate add-on detected postprandially

Adding fenofibrate to statin treatment significantly improves postprandial triglyceride response over statin treatment alone in individuals with diabetes, show findings from a US study.

18 Oct 2012

Intensive treatment with high doses of statin drugs shows promise for dyslipidemia

A comprehensive new review on how to treat high cholesterol and other blood lipid problems suggests that intensive treatment with high doses of statin drugs is usually the best approach.

16 Oct 2012

Statins could be first preventive treatment for liver cancer

Statins may reduce the risk for hepatocellular carcinoma, show the results of a meta-analysis.

15 Oct 2012

Reduced copayment policy has benefits all round

Reducing patients’ copayments for statins and clopidogrel could increase their adherence without adding financial burden to the healthcare system, researchers say.

11 Oct 2012

Statins linked to reduced glaucoma risk

Cholesterol-lowering medications in the statin class could significantly reduce the risk for developing open-angle glaucoma, show data for more than 500,000 older-age US individuals with hyperlipidemia.

2 Oct 2012

Statins may protect against glaucoma

People who take statins to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease are less likely to be diagnosed with the most common form of glaucoma, according to a nationwide study of more than 300,000 patients.

2 Oct 2012