Lipitor, a cholesterol-lowering drug, stops the development of atherosclerosis

In addition, it significantly reduces the level of bad cholesterol in the blood *The research was so successful that it was stopped

Broria Ether, Haaretz

Diagram of an artery becoming blocked by fatty deposits. Excess cholesterol is one of the main risk factors for atherosclerosis

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A cholesterol-lowering drug - Lipitor - slows down the development of atherosclerosis and significantly reduces the level of LDL (bad cholesterol) in the blood. This is according to a new study conducted among 502 heart patients in several states in the United States.

In the study, which lasted a year and a half, half of the patients were treated with Lipidal, a well-known drug for the treatment of excess cholesterol, and half with Lipitor.
In those who took Lipitor at a dose of 80 mg, the cholesterol values ​​decreased steeply compared to the others.

Another recent study by University College London, involving 2,800 type 2 diabetes patients, found that the patients who took the drug had fewer heart attacks and strokes than the patients who took a placebo. This study, which was intended to last four years, was stopped two years before the planned date in view of the unequivocal finding.

Excess cholesterol is one of the main risk factors for atherosclerosis and a too high level of it in the blood increases the risk of heart disease of the coronary arteries. However, in recent years there has been a dramatic change in the treatment of this problem, thanks to the treatment with statins, drugs that prevent the production of cholesterol in the body's cells and lead to a reduction in mortality and morbidity.

Lipitor, or by its generic name atorvastatin, like other drugs of this family, inhibits the action of the enzyme needed to produce cholesterol in the liver. As a result, the general cholesterol level decreases as well as the LDL level. The drug also causes an increase in the level of HDL (the "good" cholesterol). The drug is intended for patients at high risk of heart disease or stroke. Compared to other drugs from the same family, the statins, Lipitor has a higher ability to lower LDL levels thanks to its special chemical structure.

Prof. Dror Haretz, director of the Lipid and Arteriosclerosis Research Institute at the Sheba Medical Center, points out that due to these properties of the drug, 15 different studies are currently being conducted worldwide to test its effect. While other drugs from the statin family lower the level of cholesterol in the blood by about 30%, or 40% at most - this drug is able to reduce it dramatically, up to 60%.

Indeed, in the British study it became clear that the blood cholesterol level among those treated with the drug dropped from values ​​of 150 mg to 79 mg, compared to the usual treatment which reduced the blood cholesterol level to 110 mg. This is the first study, says Prof. Haretz, that indicates that there is a preference for aggressive treatment. But the more important result, according to him, is the stopping of atherosclerosis, which was the main goal. In the group that took Lipidal, only a slowdown in the development of the disease was observed.

Beyond the drastic lowering of cholesterol, a sharp reduction of CRP was also found, a biochemical sign that indicates an inflammatory condition within the artery and high levels of which are a risk. Among those treated with regular statins, a 5% decrease in CRP was found, compared to 36% in Lipitor treatment. The drug also had no side effects.

Atherosclerosis is caused by the process of deposition of substances in the walls of the arteries that carry blood to the heart. An increase in LDL values ​​has been proven to be a very significant risk factor for the disease and hence the great importance attributed to lowering the levels of fats and cholesterol in the blood.

There is a difference between the desired values ​​for healthy people and those recommended for patients. Healthy people can also reach LDL values ​​of 160 mg. People with risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking or a family history of heart attacks are advised not to exceed a level of 130 mg. However, for people at high risk such as heart patients and diabetes - the target values ​​are up to 100 mg and this was achieved in trials with Lipitor.

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