Simvastatin versus pravastatin: efficacy and tolerability in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia.

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Malini PL, Ambrosioni E, De Divitiis O, Di Somma S, Rosiello G, Trimarco B

Simvastatin versus pravastatin: efficacy and tolerability in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia.

Clin Ther. 1991 Jul-Aug;13(4):500-10.

PubMed ID

1934003 [ View in PubMed

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Abstract

One hundred patients with primary hypercholesterolemia (total plasma cholesterol greater than or equal to 6.2 mmol/L [240 mg/dl]) were enrolled in an open, randomized, parallel comparative study of simvastatin and pravastatin. All patients started or continued a standard lipid-lowering diet for at least six weeks prior to entry into the four-week placebo baseline period. Fifty patients received simvastatin and 50 patients received pravastatin, both at the recommended starting dose of 10 mg/day, for a treatment period of six weeks. Total cholesterol levels were reduced by 24% (from 7.59 mmol/L to 5.80 mmol/L) with simvastatin, and by 15% (from 7.48 mmol/L to 6.35 mmol/L) with pravastatin. Low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol levels were reduced by 33% and 22% and high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol levels were increased by 10% and 7% with simvastatin and pravastatin, respectively. Plasma total triglyceride levels were reduced by 12% with simvastatin and by 6% with pravastatin. Adverse experiences were similar between treatment groups and both drugs were well tolerated. No patients were withdrawn from the study due to clinical adverse experiences; one patient in the pravastatin group required a reduction in dose to 5 mg/day due to insomnia. At the recommended starting dose, simvastatin had a significantly greater lipid-lowering effect than pravastatin. These results may have implications for the appropriate lipid-reduction therapy for patients at risk of coronary heart disease.

DrugBank Data that Cites this Article

Pharmaco-metabolomics

Drug	Drug Groups	Metabolite	Change	Description
Pravastatin	Approved	Triglycerides	decreased	Pravastatin decreases the level of Triglycerides in the blood
Simvastatin	Approved	Triglycerides	decreased	Simvastatin decreases the level of Triglycerides in the blood