Lipitor

Latest clinical trial data shows statin has benefit against plaques that cause heart attacks.

ROSUVASTATIN, a statin, has received approval in Malaysia as an adjunctive therapy to diet to slow the progression of atherosclerosis in adult patients as part of a treatment strategy to lower total cholesterol and LDL-C to target levels.

Atherosclerosis is a disease resulting from excessive plaque formation in arteries, and is the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes. Statins are a class of drugs used to help patients manage their cholesterol levels and lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Based on results of the breakthrough METEOR clinical trial in 2007, rosuvastatin showed that it slowed progression of plaque build-up in arteries in people showing early signs of the disease and who are at low risk.

The approval of this additional indication for rosuvastatin in Malaysia follows the US Food and Drug Administration approval of rosuvastatin, in November last year, as a treatment to slow the progression of atherosclerosis in patients with elevated cholesterol, making rosuvastatin the only statin with this indication in the US.

Director of the Heart Foundation of Malaysia, Datuk Dr Khoo Kah Lin, said of this significant development: “Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease. This approval of rosuvastatin to treat atherosclerosis in heart patients is very good news for doctors and patients alike.

“Many clinical trials with rosuvastatin have shown it to be more efficient in lowering bad cholesterol than other statins.

Furthermore, rosuvastatin also increases the level of good cholesterol, low levels of which are associated with a higher cardiovascular risk.

“This influences the way in which we as doctors diagnose and treat patients with dangerous levels of cholesterol,” said Dr Khoo.

In an earlier clinical trial, ASTEROID (2006), rosuvastatin was the first statin to show regression of atherosclerosis in patients with advance disease using intravascular sound (IVUS) imaging. This technique places a small probe in the coronary artery to obtain images that can be analysed to determine the amount of plaque in arteries.

“The results from ASTEROID in 2006 were significant because it showed that rosuvastatin was the only statin to achieve regression of atherosclerosis in a major clinical trial using IVUS.

Prior IVUS trials have demonstrated only slowing or halting the disease, but not convincing evidence of regression of atherosclerosis. This means that patients who already have the disease now have clinically proven treatment that can really help their condition,” Dr Khoo explained.

Further breakthrough evidence from ASTEROID was presented at a major cardiology conference in March 2008. In addition to the 2006 data based on IVUS, data determined by quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) showed for the first time that a statin monotherapy has achieved regression of atherosclerosis using coronary angiographic data in a major clinical trial.

Dr Khoo explained: “Important data from these two imaging techniques measured different parameters and were focused on different segments of the coronary arteries. Both demonstrate similar improvements and are consistent with regression of atherosclerosis by rosuvastatin, confirming that patients with established disease have a very good chance to achieve regression of atherosclerosis, which is the underlying cause of heart disease.”

Dr Khoo added that achieving cholesterol goals remain a challenge for many doctors and patients, but with the right treatment regimen and compliance, it was possible.

“There is a volume of clinical evidence to show that statins are the gold standard in cholesterol management to reduce heart disease. Beyond that, METEOR, supported by ASTEROID, demonstrates that rosuvastatin has a significant impact on atherosclerosis across the spectrum of the disease – in both the early and established stages.

“Not only is achieving cholesterol goals important, but also how you achieve them. The new QCA data shows for the first time that a statin monotherapy has achieved regression of atherosclerosis, which means that doctors and patients now have irrevocable evidence that shows rosuvastatin offers the best option for patients at risk of heart disease,” Dato’ Dr Khoo emphasised.

buy lipitor cholesterol lowering free prescription pills
FedEx overnight shipping free prescription online pharmacy

Atherosclerosis is a common name for arteries thickening and hardering. It developes when a fatty plaque builds up in the inner walls of arteries. According to many scientists atherosclerosis can start when the endothelium, the innermost layer of the artery, becomes damaged. When the inner layer of the artery becomes damaged, a plaque, the buildup of fat-like substanses (cholesterol, triglyceride, cellular waste products), calcium and clotting blood substance (fibrin), can form on the damaged artery. The plaque can reduce or completely stop the flow of blood through the artery thus reducing the oxygen supply. Atherosclerosis can result in a stroke or heart attack if the oxygen supply to the brain or heart muscle is reduced. If the oxygen supply to the extremities is cut off, gangrene can result. Athresclerosis often leads to coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.

Causes of atherosclerosis:

* High cholesterol level in blood
* High blood pressure
* Tobacco smoking
* Lack of physical activity
* Obesity
* Aging

High cholesterol & atherosclerosis treatment

Atherosclerosis prevention and treatment includes lifestyle changes and cholesterol lowering therapy. High cholesterol levels can be lowered by:

1. Low cholesterol diet
Low cholesterol diet must be low in trans and saturated fat, sodium and dietary cholesterol and rich in whole-grain, high-fiber, low-fat foods, fruits and vegetables.

2. Lifestyle changes
* Stop smoking
* Loose weight
* Increase physical activity

3. Drug therapy
* Take medications used to lower cholesterol levels in blood
* Treat hypertension, control your blood pressure
* Treat diabetes mellitus
* Treat overweight, loose weight

Medications used to lower cholesterol level in blood

When your blood test shows high cholesterol level, your doctor will prescribe you low cholesterol diet and lifestyle changes. If these changes in diet and physical activity do not lower your blood cholesterol level, your doctor may prescribe a cholesterol-lowering medication.

Nearly 25 per cent of blood cholesterol comes from the foods you eat and 75 per cent of cholesterol is produced by your liver. Due to this statistics, there are two kinds of medications: first lower cholesterol count produced by your liver and the second reduce cholesterol count taken from foods.

buy lipitor cholesterol lowering free prescription pills
FedEx overnight shipping free prescription online pharmacy

Cholesterol is a fatty lipid, steroid and an alcohol found in the body tissues and blood plasma of vertebrates. It is the essential part of the outer membranes of human body cells, and it circulates in the blood.

Cholesterol in the human body comes from two major sources. About three-quarters of the body’s total cholesterol is produced within the body, while only one-quarter comes from cholesterol in food.

Higher concentrations of cholesterol are present in body tissues which have more densely packed membranes - i.e. the liver, spinal cord, brain, atheroma, adrenal glands and reproductive organs.

The liver is the most important site of cholesterol biosynthesis. It is secreted from the liver in the form of an acidic secretion known as ‘bile’.

Diets rich in animal fats, meat, poultry, fish, oils, egg yolks and dairy products are a rich source of dietary cholesterol. Organ meats, such as liver and kidney, are extremely rich in cholesterol content, but foods of plant origin contain no cholesterol.

High cholesterol levels in the bloodstream can influence the pathogenesis of certain conditions. Recent studies have revealed that the abundance of protein complexes called lipoproteins, are responsible for the cholesterol build-up in the blood vessels.

Cholesterol gets attached to these lipoproteins. The high-density lipoprotein (HDL) carries cholesterol out of the bloodstream for excretion, while the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) carries it back into the system for use by various body cells.

LDL cholesterol is called bad cholesterol, because elevated levels of it are associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. LDL deposits cholesterol on the artery walls which leads to the formation of a hard, thick substance called cholesterol plaque. Over time, cholesterol plaque causes thickening of the artery walls and narrowing of the arteries, a process called atherosclerosis.

The levels of both HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol may also determine risk for heart disease; however current medical opinion is that the ratio of HDL cholesterol to LDL cholesterol is much more important than the level of cholesterol.

Methods to control your cholesterol levels:

Lower your consumption of foods containing saturated fats - fried fast foods, butter, cream, cheese, and fat on meat - to help reduce cholesterol. Add more plant foods to your diet - vegetable oils, nuts, legumes, breads, cereal grains, fruits and vegetables. A low cholesterol diet, combined with regular exercise is the best way to lower cholesterol levels.

Medications can also help lower cholesterol levels. HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, ‘Statins’, such as lovastatin and atorvastatin (Lipitor) are the most effective and widely used medications to lower LDL cholesterol. Other medications include nicotinic acid, fibrates such as gemfibrozil, resins such as cholestyramine, and ezetimibe. These medications should be taken after consulting the experts.

buy lipitor cholesterol lowering free prescription pills
FedEx overnight shipping free prescription online pharmacy