Coronary Artery Disease, High Cholesterol
Conditions
Brief summary
Response to statin therapy for elevated low density lipoprotein is variable and may be influenced by cholesterol absorption. This study will evaluate whether combination therapy with atorvastatin/ezetimibe will be superior to atorvastatin alone in subjects who have less than 25% LDL reduction on starting dose statin (eg, atorvastatin 10 mg daily or simvastatin 20 mg daily).
Detailed description
Specific Aim 1 To identify a patient population seen in the University of California, San Diego general internal medicine and cardiology subspecialty clinics as well as referrals from community physicians who are hyporesponsive to statin therapy (defined as an initial LDL reduction of \<25% in response to 10mg of atorvastatin or 20mg of simvastatin- expected mean reduction is 35% -37% for starting dose simvastatin and atorvastatin). Specific Aim 2 To test the hypothesis, with a prospective study, that a hyporesponse to statin therapy may be related to increased cholesterol absorption, and that this hyporesponse may be overcome by the addition of ezetimibe, a specific cholesterol absorption inhibitor. Specific Aim 3 To evaluate whether patients with less than 25% LDL reduction on 10 mg of atorvastatin (or 20 mg of simvastatin) would achieve significantly greater LDL reduction with combination therapy (atorvastatin/ezetimibe) than with statin dose titration (using atorvastatin).
Interventions
DRUGEzetimibe
10 mg
DRUGAtorvastatin
Visit 1: (atorvastatin open label challenge): Those who complete the initial screening and washout period will receive open label atorvastatin 10 mg daily for 6 weeks to verify compliance and confirm hyporesponse to statin therapy. Visit 2: After 6 weeks of therapy repeat baseline fasting cholesterol. Those with LDL-c reduction of 25% or less will be able to proceed to next phase. Patients with greater than 25% LDL-C reduction will be excluded. We expect to randomize 80 patients Visit 2a: Dispensing of first randomized drug allocation- all patients receive open label atorvastatin 10 mg with additional ezetimibe 10 mg or matching placebo. No blood test during this visit. Visit 3, 4, 5: Dose titration to atorvastatin to 20 mg, 40 mg, 80 mg, respectively, after fasting blood test Blood collected in visits 3, 4, and 5 will be stored for additional tests regarding cholesterol metabolism and inflammation. Visit 6: Final cholesterol panel and conclusion of study period
Sponsors
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
University of California, San Diego
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Patients will need to have an LDL-C level of 130 mg/dl or greater without treatment. * They must have demonstrated an initial LDL-C reduction of less than 25% on 10 mg of atorvastatin or 20 mg of simvastatin. * Eligible patients will be those deemed by their physicians to be eligible for lipid lowering therapy with a statin and to have stable CAD, CAD equivalent per NCEP guidelines, or Framingham risk of 10-20%.
Exclusion criteria
* Recent (\<3 months) diagnosis of Acute Coronary Syndromes due to ethical considerations \[10\]. * Pregnant patients, those planning to become pregnant, or those who are breast feeding, those with liver disease, history allergic reaction to any agent used in the trial, history of myositis, myopathy, pancreatitis, hypertriglyceridemia (TG \> 400 mg/dL), history of significant alcohol or drug abuse, history of organ transplantation, or patient refusal.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| LDL-C Reduction | 6 weeks | Study was not analyzed as only 2 subjects were enrolled and the study was terminated due to lack of enrollment. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| LDL-C Reduction as Well as Changes in TG, HDL, and Non-HDL Cholesterol. | 24 weeks |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| All Study Participants | 0 |
| Total | 0 |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk |
|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 2 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 2 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 2 |
Outcome results
Primary
LDL-C Reduction
Study was not analyzed as only 2 subjects were enrolled and the study was terminated due to lack of enrollment.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Population: Study was not analyzed as only 2 subjects were enrolled and the study was terminated due to lack of enrollment.
Secondary
LDL-C Reduction as Well as Changes in TG, HDL, and Non-HDL Cholesterol.
Time frame: 24 weeks
Population: Study was not analyzed as only 2 subjects were enrolled and the study was terminated due to lack of enrollment.