Air Force/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention study

Last reviewed 01/2018

• randomized controlled trial that enrolled 5608 men (aged 45-73) and 997 postmenopausal women (aged 55-73) with average LDL and total cholesterol levels. The mean total cholesterol for the trial group was 5.71 mmol/l.
• patients were randomized to lovostatin (20-40mg daily) or placebo in addition to a low cholesterol, low saturated fat diet
• after an average follow-up of 5.2 years
• the lovostatin group showed a significant reduction in incidence of acute major coronary events (by 37%), unstable angina (325) and myocardial infarctions (40%).
• the beneficial effects of lovostatin therapy were evident after only one year of the study.
• lovostatin group showed a reduction in LDL cholesterol by 25% and an increase in HDL cholesterol by 6%
  
  
• Conclusions - lovostatin therapy reduced the risk of acute coronary artery events in a trial group with average total and LDL-cholesterols.Treatment benefits were apparent in men and women.

Reference:

• JAMA (1998), 279, 1615-22.