MedWorm: Atorvastatin Calcium

  Winning from Boosting Good Cholesterol (RVXCF, RVX, PFE, AZN, MRK)

BioHealthInvestor usually sticks to US companies or at least sticks to ADRs for investors.  But sometimes there is a much larger bit of data either north of the border or in Europe.  There is a company called  Resverlogix Corp. which trades in Canada under the ticker ‘RVX’ and the stock also trades in the US on the Pink Sheets under the ticker ‘RVXCF.’  The stock is soaring today after Bloomberg gave a very positive article highlighting the merits of the company’s RVX-208.  This potential drug candidate is targeting atherosclerosis in acute coronary syndrome patients.  The target is to raise HDL levels to effectively reverse arterial plaque buildup.  The company noted that there are approximately 350 million patients that require treatment for atheroscl...

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  A Pharmacogenetics-based Approach to Reduce Cardiovascular Mortality with the Prophylactic Use of Statins

Abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is the main endothelial-derived relaxation factor and plays a major role in cardiovascular homeostasis. This key signalling molecule is synthesised by a family of nitric oxide synthases (NOS), and the endothelial isoform (eNOS) is the most important for nitric oxide formation in the cardiovascular system. Cardiovascular drugs including statins increase eNOS expression and up-regulate NO formation, and this effect may be responsible for protective, pleiotropic effects produced by statins. However, the genetic background may also affect NO formation in the cardiovascular system, and recent studies have shown that genetic polymorphisms in the eNOS gene modify endogenous NO formation and the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. For example, cases with the CC ...

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  CADUET (Amlodipine Besylate And Atorvastatin Calcium) Tablet, Film Coated [Pfizer Laboratories Div Pfizer Inc]

Updated Date: Mar 2, 2010 EST (Source: DailyMed Drug Label Updates for the last seven days (since May 20, 2007 EST))

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  Comparative study of low doses of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin on lipid and glycemic control in patients with metabolic syndrome and hypercholesterolemia.

CONCLUSIONS: Rosuvastatin 10 mg was more effective than atorvastatin 10 mg in achieving NCEP ATP III LDL-C goals in patients with nondiabetic metabolic syndrome, especially in those with lower NCEP ATP III target level goals. PMID: 20195400 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine)

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  Diabetics need to take care with other drugs

Q: My mother has Type 2 diabetes and has had a terrible time controlling her blood sugar, even taking metformin and Actos. I suspect that the risperidone and Lipitor she takes might be making this harder. (Source: L.A. Times - Health)

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  Med Sci Monit 2010; 16(3):LE3-3 "Atorvastatin attenuates oxidative stress in patients with chronic kidney disease"

(Source: Medical Science Monitor)

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  Atorvastatin-induced modulation of monocyte respiratory burst in vivo in patients with IgA nephropathy: a chronic inflammatory kidney disease.

Conclusion: Our study demonstrates a higher monocyte respiratory burst in patients with IgAN compared to in cells from healthy controls as well as a significant reduction of this parameter after short time and low dose atorvastatin treatment. PMID: 20178722 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Clinical Nephrology)

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  Atorvastatin Induces Apoptosis In Vitro and Slows Growth of Tumor Xenografts but Not Polyp Formation in Min Mice

Conclusions  Atorvastatin can induce apoptosis in vitro, through mevalonate and prenylation pathways. Atorvastatin, while not effective in preventing polyp formation in the min mouse model, was very effective in slowing tumor growth in a nude mouse model. Consistent with in vitro findings, increased apoptosis accounted for decreased tumor growth. Statins may have benefit in cancer by slowing tumor growth, rather than preventing tumor initiation. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticleDOI 10.1007/s10620-010-1157-xAuthors Emina H. Huang, University of Florida Department of Surgery Gainesville FL USALaura A. Johnson, University of Michigan Department of Internal Medicine Ann Arbor MI USAKathryn Eaton, University of Michigan Department of Comparative Patho...

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  CADUET (Amlodipine Besylate And Atorvastatin Calcium) Tablet, Film Coated [Pfizer Laboratories Div Pfizer Inc]

Updated Date: Feb 25, 2010 EST (Source: DailyMed Drug Label Updates for the last seven days (since May 20, 2007 EST))

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  LIPITOR (Atorvastatin Calcium) Tablet, Film Coated [Parke-Davis Division Of Pfizer Inc]

Updated Date: Feb 25, 2010 EST (Source: DailyMed Drug Label Updates for the last seven days (since May 20, 2007 EST))

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  Antibodies to Platelet Factor 4-Heparin Complex and Outcome in Hemodialysis Patients with Diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS: In hemodialysis patients who have type 2 diabetes and are treated with acetylsalicylic acid, PF4-H-ABs are associated with sudden and all-cause death. Further studies are needed to elucidate this association. PMID: 20185595 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN)

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  Effects of atorvastatin and n-3 fatty acid supplementation on VLDL apolipoprotein C-III kinetics in men with abdominal obesity.

CONCLUSIONS: In obesity, the triglyceride-lowering effect of atorvastatin, but not fish oils, is associated with increased VLDL apo C-III fractional catabolism and hence lower VLDL apo C-III concentrations. Combination treatment provided no significant additional improvement in VLDL apo C-III metabolism compared with atorvastatin alone. PMID: 20181806 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)

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  Combined hyperlipidemia in patients with lysinuric protein intolerance

Conclusion  Serum cholesterol and triglyceride values are markedly elevated in LPI patients. Although the mechanism of combined hyperlipidemia remains unknown and is not explained by fat consumption, hyperlipidemia is clearly progressive with age, suggesting that starting statin therapy early is probably beneficial. Statins are well-tolerated and efficacious in LPI. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Research ReportDOI 10.1007/s10545-010-9050-5Authors Laura M. Tanner, University of Turku Department of Pediatrics Turku FinlandHarri Niinikoski, University of Turku Department of Pediatrics Turku FinlandKirsti Näntö-Salonen, University of Turku Department of Pediatrics Turku FinlandOlli Simell, University of Turku Department of Pediatrics Turku Finland Journal...

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  Influence of co-existing atrial fibrillation on the efficacy of atorvastatin treatment in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy: a pilot study

Conclusion: In patients with DCM and co-existing AF, a weaker effect of atorvastatin concerning the reduction of IL-6 and NT-proBNP concentration was observed than in patients without atrial fibrillation. (ClinialTrial.gov No.: NCT01015144) (Source: Lipids in Health and Disease)

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  Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Low-Dose Pitavastatin Versus Atorvastatin in Patients with Hypercholesterolemia (March).

CONCLUSIONS: Although pitavastatin 1 mg daily was not as effective at lowering LDL-C and TC levels as atorvastatin 10 mg daily, the number of patients achieving their LDL-C goals with pitavastatin was comparable with the number using atorvastatin. Pitavastatin 1 mg once daily may be an alternative regimen with cost-saving benefits but without a significant decrease in therapeutic benefit or increase in adverse events in patients with hypercholesterolemia. PMID: 20179259 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The Annals of Pharmacotherapy)

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  Pitavastatin: A New HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor(March) (CE).

CONCLUSIONS: In light of the lack of outcome data, pitavastatin offers no clear advantage over other drugs in this class. PMID: 20179258 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The Annals of Pharmacotherapy)

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  Identification and Assessment of Plasma Lysozyme as a Putative Biomarker of Atherosclerosis.

CONCLUSIONS: Increased plasma lysozyme levels may be a useful biomarker of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and response to therapy. Additional studies to investigate this are warranted. Surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used successfully to screen for plasma biomarkers of atheroma in patients with coronary artery disease and led to the identification of lysozyme as a candidate. The elevation of lysozyme was shown to be associated with disease severity in patients with atherosclerosis. PMID: 20167661 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology)

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  Atorvastatin-Induced Prolonged Cholestasis with Bile Duct Damage

(Source: Clinical Drug Investigation)

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  Whistleblower charges Pfizer with unlawfully marketing Lipitor

An amended whistleblower suit alleges that pharmaceutical company Pfizer unlawfully marketed Lipitor to the public for more than seven years and deliberately misrepresented U.S. guidelines, including those issued by the National Institutes of Health. (Source: Cardiovascular Business News)

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  Statins potently reduce the cytokine-mediated IL-6 release in SMC / MNC cocultures.

Authors: Loppnow H, Zhang L, Buerke M, Lautenschläger M, Chen L, Frister A, Schlitt A, Luther T, Song N, Hofmann B, Rose-John S, Silber RE, Müller-Werdan U, Werdan K Inflammatory pathways are involved in the developement of atherosclerosis. Interaction of vessel wall cells and invading monocytes by cytokines may trigger local inflammatory processes. HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) are a standard medication used in cardiovascular diseases. They are thought to have anti-inflammatory capacities, in addition to their lipid-lowering effects. We investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of statins in the cytokine-mediated-interaction-model of human vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) and human mononuclear cells (MNC). In this atherosclerosis-related inflammatory model LPS (li...

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  Mechanism of the inhibitory effect of atorvastatin on endoglin expression induced by transforming growth factor-{beta}1 in cultured cardiac fibroblasts

Conclusion Atorvastatin inhibits endoglin expression through the inhibition of PI-3 kinase, Akt, and Smad3 phosphorylation, and reduced Smad3/4 binding activity and endoglin promoter activity in cardiac fibroblasts. (Source: European Journal of Heart Failure)

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  Safety and tolerability of dalcetrapib (RO4607381/JTT-705): results from a 48-week trial

Conclusion Dalcetrapib 900 mg administered for up to 48 weeks showed no clinically relevant changes in lymph nodes, BP, or other safety parameters. Dalcetrapib effectively increased HDL-C over 48 weeks of treatment. (Source: European Heart Journal)

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  Fibrate/statin Initiation in Warfarin Users Ups Risk of GI Bleeding

Initiation of a fibrate or statin that inhibits CYP3A4 enzymes -- including fenofibrate, gemfibrozil, fluvastatin, simvastatin, and atorvastatin -- increases the risk of hospitalization for GI bleeding in chronic warfarin users, according to a report in the February issue of the American Journal of Medicine. Reuters Health Information (Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines)

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  Former Exec Sues Pfizer Over Lipitor Marketing

: Whistleblower Suit Alleges Promotion For unapproved uses [The Day, New London, Conn.] From Day, The (New London, CT) (February 12, 2010) Feb. 12--Pfizer Inc., which paid out a record $2.3 billion... (Source: Drugs.com - Pharma News)

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  Relationships Between Metabolic Syndrome and Other Baseline Factors and the Efficacy of Ezetimibe/Simvastatin and Atorvastatin in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Hypercholesterolemia.

Conclusions- Treatment-responses in type 2 diabetes patients were related to baseline factors, though treatment-effects (ezetimibe/simvastatin>atorvastatin) remained consistent. The presence of predictive factors should be considered in planning lipid-altering therapy. PMID: 20150290 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Diabetes Care)

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  Comparison Of The Effects Of Atorvastatin And Simvastatin In Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Prospective, Randomized Study

Exp Clin Endocrinol DiabetesDOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1220770AbstractPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance (IR), and chronic inflammation. Simvastatin improves endocrine/clinical aspects of PCOS and decreases systemic inflammation in PCOS. There have been no comparative studies carried out regarding the effects of different statin treatment in PCOS. We aimed to assess the effects of two different statin treatments on various metabolic, endocrine, oxidative and inflammatory factors in PCOS.[...]© J. A. Barth Verlag in Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New YorkGet connected:Table of contents  |  Abstract  |  Full text (Source: Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology and Diabetes)

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  Health News of the Day

is a daily summary made from the selected links I post on Twitter. It is in bullet-point format with links to the original sources which include 350 RSS feeds that produce about 2,500 items per day: Spending on health care in US is 17.3% of GDP, up from 16.2% in 2008 - largest percentage increase in 5 decades http://goo.gl/IZE4 People who drank 2 or more soft drinks a week had an 87% increased risk of pancreatic cancer http://goo.gl/DcXd Thirdhand Smoke (tobacco smoke residue) Creates Indoor Cancer Risk. Nicotine reacts with indoor air pollutant to form carcinogenic compounds called tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) http://bit.ly/cRpb4r Mediterranean diet may help prevent dementia - CNN http://bit.ly/a9lGLb Latrepirdine (Dimebon) - oral medication developed for Alzheimer's - may ...

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  Belgian analysis finds atorvastatin cost saving in T2DM patients

(Source: PharmacoEconomics and Outcomes News)

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  Addition of omega-3 fatty acids to atorvastatin improves lipid levels

Taking prescription omega-3-acid ethyl esters plus atorvastatin improves lipid levels to a significantly greater extent than atorvastatin plus placebo, report researchers. (Source: MedWire News - Lipidology)

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  Atorvastatin cuts CHD risk in stroke patients

Further results from the SPARCL trial show that stroke patients given atorvastatin have a reduced risk for coronary heart disease events, as well as recurrent stroke. (Source: MedWire News - Stroke)

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  Atorvastatin cuts CHD risk in stroke patients

Further results from the SPARCL trial show that stroke patients given atorvastatin have a reduced risk for coronary heart disease events, as well as recurrent stroke. (Source: MedWire News - Cardiology)

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  Statin-induced autophagy by inhibition of geranylgeranyl biosynthesis in prostate cancer PC3 cells

Autophagy is a cellular process of degradation of macromolecules and organelles and activated under nutritional stress. Statins are a class of inhibitors of 3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, a key enzyme in synthesis of cholesterol. Epidemiological studies have shown that statin use decreases the incidence of advanced prostate cancer. We explored the idea that treatment of atorvastatin, a commonly prescribed statin for treatment of hypercholesterolemia, induces autophagy in prostate cancer cells.The atorvastatin-induced autophagic process in prostate cancer PC3 cells was determined by detection of cellular level of LC3-II, an autophagosomal marker, via immunoblotting and immunofluorescent staining.Atorvastatin treatment of PC3 cells for 40 hrs increased expression...

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  Pfizer’s Q4, FY09 sees uptick

Pfizer has reported positive financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2009, recording only a slight uptick for Lipitor. (Source: Cardiovascular Business News)

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  Discovery of safety biomarkers for atorvastatin in rat urine using mass spectrometry based metabolomics combined with global and targeted approach.

Authors: Kumar BS, Lee YJ, Yi HJ, Chung BC, Jung BH In order to develop a safety biomarker for atorvastatin, this drug was orally administrated to hyperlipidemic rats, and a metabolomic study was performed. Atorvastatin was given in doses of either 70 mg kg(-1) day(-1) or 250 mg kg(-1) day(-1) for a period of 7 days (n=4 for each group). To evaluate any abnormal effects of the drug, physiological and plasma biochemical parameters were measured and histopathological tests were carried out. Safety biomarkers were derived by comparing these parameters and using both global and targeted metabolic profiling. Global metabolic profiling was performed using liquid chromatography/time of flight/mass spectrometry (LC/TOF/MS) with multivariate data analysis. Several safety biomarker candidates th...

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  Effects of Prescription Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters on Non--High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol When Coadministered With Escalating Doses of Atorvastatin

CONCLUSION: Prescription omega-3-acid ethyl esters plus atorvastatin produced significant improvements in non—HDL-C and other lipid parameters in patients with elevated non—HDL-C and triglyceride levels. (Source: Mayo Clinic Proceedings)

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  Atorvastatin decreases serum levels of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients with dyslipidemia: clinical usefulness of AGEs as a biomarker for the attenuation of NASH

Conclusions  The present data demonstrated that atorvastatin decreased the serum levels of AGEs in NASH patients with dyslipidemia and suggest the usefulness of AGEs as a biomarker for the attenuation of NASH. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original Article—Liver, Pancreas, and Biliary TractDOI 10.1007/s00535-010-0203-yAuthors Yuki Kimura, Hiroshima University Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minamiku Hiroshima 734-8551 JapanHideyuki Hyogo, Hiroshima University Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minamiku Hiroshima 734-8551 JapanSho-ichi Yamagishi, Kurume University School of Medicine Department of Pathophysiology and Therapeutics of D...

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  In Hyperlipemic Elderly, Ezetimibe/atorvastatin Better Than High-Dose Atorvastatin

In patients 65 and older with a high risk of coronary heart disease, adding ezetimibe to atorvastatin reduced most lipids significantly more than did doubling or even quadrupling the atorvastatin dose, U.S. and Canadian researchers report online in the American Journal of Cardiology. Reuters Health Information (Source: Medscape Pharmacist Headlines)

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  Atorvastatin/fluvastatin: Liver injury and autoimmune hepatitis: 2 case reports

(Source: Reactions)

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  Fibrate/Statin Initiation in Warfarin Users and Gastrointestinal Bleeding Risk

Conclusions: Initiation of a fibrate or statin that inhibits CYP3A4 enzymes, including atorvastatin, was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for gastrointestinal bleeding. Initiation of pravastatin, which is mainly excreted unchanged, was not associated with an increased risk. (Source: The American Journal of Medicine)

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  Atorvastatin Modulates Matrix Metalloproteinase Expression, Activity, and Signaling in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Statins may reduce abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) progression. We sought to measure how atorvastatin (AT) treatment might modulate matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression and/or activity in human AAA. Tissue from human AAAs at surgical repair was obtained from patients who were either not on statins (NST, n = 19) or treated with AT (n = 19). Immunoblots measured expression and zymography measured activity. Expression of most proteins was greater in the central compared with distal AAA region. Matrix metalloproteinase 1, MMP2, MMP3, MMP9, Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase (TIMP2), TIMP3, TIMP4, or total Sma Mothers Against Decapentaplegia (SMAD2) expression did not differ with treatment. There was a trend toward reduced MMP8 and TIMP1 expression and MMP2 zymographic activity in the A...

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  Optimizing statin treatment for primary prevention of coronary artery disease.

CONCLUSION: A tailored treatment strategy prevents more CAD events while treating fewer persons with high-dose statins than low-density lipoprotein cholesterol-based target approaches. Results were robust, even with assumptions favoring a treat-to-target approach. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: Department of Veteran Affairs Health Services Research & Development Service's Quality Enhancement Research Initiative. PMID: 20083825 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annals of Internal Medicine)

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  Efficacy of Atorvastatin Reload in Patients on Chronic Statin Therapy Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Clinical Trial ReportDOI 10.1007/s11883-009-0083-xAuthors Michael Clearfield, Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine 1310 Johnson Lane, Mare Island Vallejo CA 94592 USA Journal Current Atherosclerosis ReportsOnline ISSN 1534-6242Print ISSN 1523-3804 (Source: Current Atherosclerosis Reports)

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  ZETELD results show efficacy of atorvastatin plus ezetimibe in elderly

Addition of ezetimibe to low-dose atorvastatin improves the lipid profile of elderly individuals at high risk for coronary heart disease to a significantly greater extent than increasing the dose of atorvastatin, report researchers. (Source: MedWire News - Lipidology)

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  Fenofibrate treatment increases human serum proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 levels [Research Articles]

Over the past several years, proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 (PCSK9) has gained significant attention as a key regulator of serum LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. In humans, gain-of-function mutations in PCSK9 cause a form of familial hypercholesterolemia, whereas loss-of-function mutations result in significantly decreased LDL-C and cardiovascular risk. Our laboratory was the first to demonstrate that atorvastatin increases PCSK9 serum levels, an observation that has since been confirmed by at least two other groups. In light of these observations, we studied the effect of another common lipid-lowering medication, fenofibrate, on circulating PCSK9 protein levels in patients treated with fenofibrate or placebo for 12 weeks. We observed that fenofibrate (200 mg per day) signifi...

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  Cost Effectiveness of Atorvastatin in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Pharmacoeconomic Analysis of the Collaborative Atorvastatin Diabetes Study in the Belgian Population

(Source: Clinical Drug Investigation)

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  Noninferiority of Pitavastatin in Intravascular Ultrasound Findings

We read with interest the paper by Hiro et al. () comparing the regressive effect of pitavastatin on coronary plaque volume in acute coronary syndrome patients with that of atorvastatin using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). The authors demonstrated that the upper limit of the 95% confidence interval of the difference in the mean percentage of change in plaque volume between the 2 groups (mean 1.11%, 95% confidence interval: −2.27% to 4.48%) did not exceed the pre-defined noninferiority margin of 5% and concluded that the noninferiority of pitavastatin compared with atorvastatin. (Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology)

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  Reply

First, we express our deep appreciation for the sincere criticism by Dr. Kaneda and colleagues of our paper (). However, we have a few concerns regarding their arguments. The REVERSAL (REVERSing Atherosclerosis with Aggressive Lipid Lowering) study () examined patients with stable coronary artery disease who could undergo an elective cardiac catheterization, whereas the PROVE-IT–TIMI 22 (Pravastatin or Atorvastatin Evaluation and Infection Therapy–Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction 22) () and our JAPAN-ACS (Japan Assessment of Pitavastatin and Atorvastatin in Acute Coronary Syndrome) study examined patients with acute coronary syndrome. Several reports have been published that nonculprit plaque differs in tissue characteristics between acute coronary syndrome and stable coronary ar...

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  A Randomized Clinical Trial to Assess the Effect of Statins on Skeletal Muscle Function and Performance: Rationale and Study Design

This study will determine the effect of statins on skeletal muscle strength, endurance, and aerobic exercise performance and may ultimately help clinicians better evaluate statin-related muscle and exercise complaints. (Source: Preventive Cardiology)

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  Influence of SCARB1 polymorphisms on serum lipids of hypercholesterolemic individuals treated with atorvastatin.

CONCLUSION: The SCARB1 polymorphisms are related with variations in serum lipids in Brazilian population and c.1050C>T SNP is associated with lipid-lowering atorvastatin response. PMID: 20064494 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: International Journal of Clinical Chemistry)

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  Journal Scan: Novel Approaches for Preventing or Limiting Events (Naples) II Trial: Impact of a Single High Loading Dose of Atorvastatin on Periprocedural Myocardial Infarction (J Am Coll Cardiol 2009;54:2157-2163.)

The day before the elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), 668 statin-naive patients were randomly assigned to atorvastatin 80 mg (atorvastatin group; n = 338) or no statin treatment (control group; n = 330). Creatine kinase-myocardial isoenzyme (CK-MB) (upper limit of normal [ULN] 3.5 ng. . . (Source: Cardiosource)

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  UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) polymorphisms affect atorvastatin lactonization in vitro and in vivo.

Authors: Riedmaier S, Klein K, Hofmann U, Keskitalo JE, Neuvonen PJ, Schwab M, Niemi M, Zanger UM The response to statins shows large interpatient variability. Atorvastatin delta-lactone is pharmacologically inactive but has been associated with toxicity. We investigated the role of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) in atorvastatin lactonization. In human liver microsomes, lactonization was correlated with UGT1A3 (r(s) = 0.61, P < 0.0001) but not with UGT1A1. Surprisingly, lactone formation was significantly higher in carriers of UGT1A1*28, an allele that is associated with lower UGT1A1 expression. We show that this inverse correlation is due to extensive linkage disequilibrium in the UGT1A locus and that several UGT1A3 haplotypes are associated with strong increases in UGT1A3 exp...

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  The Management of Diabetic Neuropathy in CKD

A 64-year-old man with a 15-year history of poorly controlled type 2 diabetes and a 10-year history of hypertension and hyperlipidemia had developed multiple diabetes-related complications within the last 5 years. He first developed albuminuria 5 years ago, and during the next several years, he experienced a fairly rapid decrease in kidney function, with an estimated glomerular filtration rate of 55 mL/min/1.73 m2 noted 2 years ago. Proliferative retinopathy was diagnosed 5 years ago, and he underwent laser photocoagulation. Four years ago, he noted symptoms of peripheral neuropathy manifested as shooting pain and numbness with loss of light touch, thermal, and vibratory sensation in a stocking distribution. Last year, he developed a nonhealing ulcer on the plantar aspect of his left foot ...

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  Treatment of symptomatic HyperLp(a)lipoproteinemia with LDL-apheresis: a multicentre study.

Authors: Stefanutti C, D'Alessandri G, Russi G, De Silvestro G, Zenti MG, Marson P, Belotherkovsky D, Vivenzio A, Di Giacomo S LDL-apheresis (LDLa) efficacy in the treatment of symptomatic HyperLp(a)lipoproteinemia -HyperLp(a)- has been studied in a multicentre trial. After 3.1+/-2.7 years of weekly and biweekly treatment, the data from 19 patients (males:12; females:7; aged 53.8+/-9.3 years; mean body mass index: 24.6+/-2.3 Kg/m(2)) were evaluated. Data were collected using the same questionnaire shared by 5 participating centres. A total of 2331 procedures were performed. A mean of 3593.7+/-800.3 ml of plasma or 8115.3+/-2150.1 ml of blood, depending upon the technique used (H.E.L.P., D.A.LI., Dextransulphate, Lipocollect 200), was regularly treated on average every 10.1+/-2.6 days. ...

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  Safety and Efficacy of Ezetimibe Added to Atorvastatin Versus Up Titration of Atorvastatin to 40 mg in Patients ≥65 Years of Age (from the ZETia in the ELDerly [ZETELD] Study)

Few clinical studies have focused on the efficacy of lipid-lowering therapies in patients ≥65 years of age. The percentage of change from baseline in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and the percentage of patients achieving prespecified LDL cholesterol levels after 12 weeks of ezetimibe 10 mg plus atorvastatin versus up titration of atorvastatin were assessed in subjects ≥65 years old with hyperlipidemia and at high risk of coronary heart disease. After stabilization of atorvastatin 10-mg therapy, 1,053 patients, ≥65 years old, at high risk of coronary heart disease, with and without atherosclerotic vascular disease and a LDL cholesterol level that was not (Source: The American Journal of Cardiology)

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  CAS enhances statin effects on contralateral plaque stability in bilateral carotid stenosis

Ipsilateral carotid artery stenting combined with intensive atorvastatin therapy is associated with enhanced contralateral plaque stability compared with atorvastatin therapy alone in patients with bilateral carotid stenosis, a Greek study has found. (Source: MedWire News - Lipidology)

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  Meta-analysis of Comparative Efficacy of Increasing Dose of Atorvastatin Versus Rosuvastatin Versus Simvastatin on Lowering Levels of Atherogenic Lipids (from VOYAGER)

Statins are the most commonly prescribed agents for lowering levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Although dose-dependent reductions in levels of atherogenic lipids are observed with all statins, the impact of increasing dose has not been fully elucidated. An individual patient data pooled analysis was performed of 32,258 patients in studies comparing the efficacy of rosuvastatin with that of atorvastatin or simvastatin. The impact of increasing dose on lowering LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B was investigated. Doubling the dose of each statin was accompanied by a 4% to 7% greater degree of lowering of all atherogenic lipids. A stronger correlation was observed between changes in LDL cholesterol and non-HD...

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  Meta-analysis: Heart failure benefits of different statins

Source: Am J Cardiology Area: News A meta-analysis of placebo-controlled randomised trials featured in the American Journal of Cardiology has found that different statins have different effects on heart failure(HF).   The researchers searched CENTRAL, mRCT, and PubMed for eligible studies that prospectively randomised patients with HF to statins or placebo. Primary end points were all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, hospitalisation for worsening HF, adverse drug events, and changes in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Data was pooled using the random effects model with summary effect estimates (95% confidence intervals).   Ten studies (10,192 patients; mean age 69 years; 78% male) with follow-up from 3 to 47 months met the inclusion criteria. Three tr...

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  Comparison of 80 versus 10 mg of Atorvastatin on Occurrence of Cardiovascular Events After the First Event (from the Treating to New Targets [TNT] Trial)

In conclusion, treatment with atorvastatin 80 mg continued to significantly decrease the risk of any cardiovascular event over time compared to atorvastatin 10 mg in patients who had survived previous events. In TNT, analyses limited to the primary end point significantly underestimated the decrease in total cardiovascular disease burden achieved by intensive low-density lipoprotein cholesterol lowering. (Source: The American Journal of Cardiology)

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  Pitavastatin helps maintain LDL-C reductions for up to a year

Pitavastatin is generally well tolerated and efficacious for up to a year in patients with hypercholesterolemia or combined dyslipidemia who have previously received treatment with pitvastatin, atorvastatin, or simvastatin, an extension study of 52 weeks shows. (Source: MedWire News - Lipidology)

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  Atorvastatin improves insulin sensitivity in mice with obesity induced by monosodium glutamate.

Conclusion:Atorvastatin is a potential candidate for the prevention and therapy of diseases associated with insulin resistance such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. One possible mechanism underlying the effects of atorvastatin on glucose and lipid metabolism may be to ameliorate a state of chronic inflammation. PMID: 20023693 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Acta Pharmacologica Sinica)

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  Usefulness of Atorvastatin (80 mg) in Prevention of Contrast-Induced Nephropathy in Patients With Chronic Renal Disease

We investigated the efficacy of short-term high-dose atorvastatin in decreasing the risk of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) subjected to coronary angiography and/or angioplasty. CIN occurs in up to 15% of patients with pre-existing CKD and affects clinical outcome. The protective effect of statin therapy against CIN is still controversial. A prospective, single-center study of 304 patients with baseline estimated creatinine clearance (Source: The American Journal of Cardiology)

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  EGFR Signaling Through an Akt-SREBP-1-Dependent, Rapamycin-Resistant Pathway Sensitizes Glioblastomas to Antilipogenic Therapy.

Authors: Guo D, Prins RM, Dang J, Kuga D, Iwanami A, Soto H, Lin KY, Huang TT, Akhavan D, Hock MB, Zhu S, Kofman AA, Bensinger SJ, Yong WH, Vinters HV, Horvath S, Watson AD, Kuhn JG, Robins HI, Mehta MP, Wen PY, Deangelis LM, Prados MD, Mellinghoff IK, Cloughesy TF, Mischel PS Glioblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor, is among the most lethal and difficult cancers to treat. Although epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are frequent in glioblastoma, their clinical relevance is poorly understood. Studies of tumors from patients treated with the EGFR inhibitor lapatinib revealed that EGFR induces the cleavage and nuclear translocation of the master transcriptional regulator of fatty acid synthesis, sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP-1). This respons...

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  Assessment of arterial stiffness affected by atorvastatin in coronary artery disease using pulse wave velocity.

CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrated that atorvastatin can improve arterial stiffness in CAD patients independent of its lipid-lowering properties. PMID: 20003828 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Clinical and Investigative Medicine)

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  IDEAL trial shows persistent protection with high-dose atorvastatin

Patients receiving intensive statin therapy should continue to do so even if they experience a cardiovascular event, say researchers who found the additional protective effect of a high versus standard statin dose persists through multiple events. (Source: MedWire News - Lipidology)

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  CVN: Heart Minute

Atorvastatin Reduces MI in PCI (Source: Cardiosource)

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  Comparison of the efficacy of administering a combination of ezetimibe plus fenofibrate versus atorvastatin monotherapy in the treatment of dyslipidemia

Conclusions: The combination of ezetimibe plus fenofibrate appeared to produce nearly identical alterations in serum lipoprotein levels when compared to monotherapy with 10mg of atorvastatin. Daily treatment with the combination of ezetimibe plus fenofibrate is an acceptable alternative to atorvastatin for the treatment of dyslipidemia in patients who are intolerant of statins. (Source: Lipids in Health and Disease)

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  Adolescent type 1 Diabetes cardio-renal Intervention Trial (AdDIT)

DiscussionAdDIT will provide important data on the potential renal and cardiovascular protective effects of ACEI and statins in high-risk adolescents. Long-term follow-up of the randomized subjects will provide direct evidence of disease outcomes, in addition to the data on early surrogate measures of DN and CVD. Follow up of non-randomized low-risk subjects will determine the potential impact of intervention on DN and CVD. AdDIT will help to determine whether, in addition to encouraging young people to achieve good glycaemic control, pharmacological cardio-renal protection should also be implemented.EudraCT Number: 2007-001039-72Trial Registration Number: ISRCTN91419926 (Source: BMC Pediatrics - Latest articles)

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  Total Cardiovascular Disease Burden: Comparing Intensive With Moderate Statin Therapy: Insights From the IDEAL (Incremental Decrease in End Points Through Aggressive Lipid Lowering) Trial

Conclusions: Our results indicate that intensive statin therapy continues to be more effective than standard statin therapy, even beyond the first event, and suggest that clinicians should not hesitate to prescribe high-dose statin therapy for patients experiencing multiple recurrent cardiovascular events. (Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology)

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  Reduction in Recurrent Cardiovascular Events With Intensive Lipid-Lowering Statin Therapy Compared With Moderate Lipid-Lowering Statin Therapy After Acute Coronary Syndromes: From the PROVE IT–TIMI 22 (Pravastatin or Atorvastatin Evaluation and Infection Therapy–Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction 22) Trial

Conclusions: Although analytic techniques commonly used in clinical outcomes trials censor patients who experience a component of the primary composite end point, total cardiovascular events are important to patients, clinicians, and health care payers. Maintaining low levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is central to preventing additional atherosclerotic development and subsequent cardiovascular events. Atorvastatin 80 mg, a more intensive low-density lipoprotein cholesterol lowering agent, reduced both first and subsequent primary end point events compared with pravastatin 40 mg after ACS. (Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology)

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  Cardiovascular Outcomes in Randomized Trials: Should Time to First Event for “Hard” End Points Remain the Standard Approach?⁎

This issue of the Journal contains 2 papers that provide interesting insights from 2 large randomized lipid-lowering trials that addressed relatively similar scientific questions. In the PROVE IT–TIMI 22 (Pravastatin or Atorvastatin Evaluation and Infection Therapy–Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction 22) trial, investigators compared atorvastatin (80 mg) with pravastatin (40 mg) for patients randomly assigned to treatment after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (). In the IDEAL (Incremental Decrease in End Points Through Aggressive Lipid Lowering) trial (), the 80-mg dosage of atorvastatin was compared with 20 to 40 mg of simvastatin in patients with a prior myocardial infarction (MI). Both studies were performed well and contributed significantly to the contemporary understanding of ...

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  SWiss Atorvastatin and Interferon Beta-1b Trial In Multiple Sclerosis (SWABIMS) - rationale, design and methodology

DiscussionSWABIMS is designed to give further information about the therapeutic effect of atorvastatin 40mg per os daily as add-on therapy to interferon beta-1b in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Furthermore important safety and tolerability data will be generated.Trial Registration: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Identifier: NCT00942591; Swissmedic reference number: 2005DR2119 (Source: Trials)

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  Journal Scan: Reduction in Recurrent Cardiovascular Events With Intensive Lipid-Lowering Statin Therapy Compared With Moderate Lipid-Lowering Statin Therapy After Acute Coronary Syndromes: From the PROVE IT-TIMI 22 (Pravastatin or Atorvastatin Evaluation and Infection Therapy-Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction 22) Trial (J Am Coll Cardiol 2009;54:2358-2362.)

This is a post-hoc analysis of the PROVE IT-TIMI 22 trial. Poisson regression analysis was performed to compare the number of occurrences of the primary endpoint between high-dose atorvastatin and pravastatin in the PROVE IT-TIMI 22 trial. (Source: Cardiosource)

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  The benefits of statins in people without established cardiovascular disease but with cardiovascular risk factors: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Source: DARE Area: Evidence > Disease Focused Reviews CRD Summary: This generally well-conducted review concluded that statin use in patients without established cardiovascular disease, but with cardiovascular risk factors, was associated with significantly improved survival and large reductions in the risk of major cardiovascular events. This conclusion reflected the results of an appropriate synthesis of large, high-quality trials and is likely to be reliable. [Included studies used pravastatin, lovastatin, atorvastatin, simvastatin or rosuvastatin.] CRD Commentary: The review question was clear and supported by specific inclusion criteria. The authors searched several relevant databases and this reduced their chances of omitting relevant studies. No systematic attempts to locate un...

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  Montelukast Inhibits Matrix Metalloproteinases Expression in Atherosclerotic Rabbits

Conclusion  These data indicate that montelukast inhibits neointimal hyperplasia in association with decreased expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 independent of plasma lipid levels in atherosclerotic plaques after vascular injury in hyperlipidemic rabbits. Content Type Journal ArticleDOI 10.1007/s10557-009-6211-6Authors Dezhi Liu, Nanjing University School of Medicine Department of Neurology, Jinling Hospital 305# East Zhongshan Road Nanjing 210002 Jiangsu Province People’s Republic of ChinaSong Ge, Nanjing University School of Medicine Department of Neurology, Jinling Hospital 305# East Zhongshan Road Nanjing 210002 Jiangsu Province People’s Republic of ChinaGuangyi Zhou, Nanjing University School of Medicine Department of Neurology, Jinling Hospital 305# East Zhongshan...

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  Von Willebrand disease, angiodysplasia and atorvastatin

(Source: British Journal of Haematology)

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  Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials of Statins Versus Placebo in Patients With Heart Failure

Although statins have been shown to improve outcomes in retrospective analyses of patients with heart failure (HF), recent randomized placebo-controlled trials have shown mixed results. The goal of this study was to systematically review randomized trials comparing statins to placebo for HF and compare the impact of different statins. CENTRAL, mRCT, and PubMed were searched for eligible studies that prospectively randomized patients with HF to statins or placebo. Primary end points were all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, hospitalization for worsening HF, adverse drug events, and changes in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Pooling was performed with random effect methods with summary effect estimates (95% confidence intervals). Ten studies (10,192 patients) with follow...

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  Effect of Atorvastatin on Platelet Thromboxane A2 Synthesis in Aspirin-Treated Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction

In conclusion, atorvastatin combined with aspirin early in the onset of the acute event significantly reduced persistent TXA2 and TXA2-dependent aspirin resistance. This could contribute to the clinical benefit of atorvastatin in patients with AMI. (Source: The American Journal of Cardiology)

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  Effect of Intensive Statin Therapy on Clinical Outcomes Among Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Acute Coronary Syndrome: PCI-PROVE IT: A PROVE IT–TIMI 22 (Pravastatin or Atorvastatin Evaluation and Infection Therapy–Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction 22) Substudy

Conclusions: Among patients with ACS who undergo PCI, intensive statin therapy reduces MACE compared with moderate-dose statin therapy. The reduction in the incidence of TVR was independent of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and C-reactive protein lowering and may therefore be due, at least in part, to a pleiotropic effect of high-dose statin therapy. (PROVE IT–TIMI 22; NCT00382460) (Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology)

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  Warning: drug ads are harmful to your health

(NaturalNews) If you watch TV or ever flip through a glossy magazine, you are bound to have seen ads conjured up by Big Pharma working with slick advertising agencies. As it turns out, what they are selling isn't necessarily health -- or the truth. They are pushing pills, even if they have to twist the facts a bit about what their drugs do, who needs them and why. Now a new study just published in the American Journal of Public Health concludes this prescription drug direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) carries significant risks for the public.Currently, some members of Congress, including Rep. Henry Waxman (D-California), are calling for stricter FDA regulations of DTCA because the ads can lead to inappropriate prescribing. They also portray what may be a non-medical problem (such as ove...

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  Lipitor 10mg, 20mg, 40mg, 80mg tablets (atorvastatin) - Revised SPC

Source: eMC (electronic Medicines Compendium) Area: Other Library Updates > SPC Changes Update to section 4.4 (Special warnings and precautions for Use) regarding interstitial lung disease and addition of side effects in section 4.8. NB: On 3 November 2009, the MHRA issued additional safety information for this product. A Europe-wide review of clinical trial data, adverse drug reaction reports and published literature on statins has concluded that any of the following adverse reactions may be associated with statin use: sleep disturbances, memory loss, sexual dysfunction, depression and interstitial lung disease (leading to breathing problems). Product information for all statins will be updated with warnings on all of these side effects. (Source: NeLM - Cardiovascular Medicine)

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  Atorvastatin Inhibits gp91phox Circulating Levels in Patients With Hypercholesterolemia.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that statins exert an antioxidant effect via inhibition of soluble gp91(phox) expression. PMID: 19965781 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology)

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  Is Initiation of Atorvastatin for Employees a Good Buy for Employers?

(Source: Mayo Clinic Proceedings)

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  Cardiovascular and Economic Outcomes After Initiation of Lipid-Lowering Therapy With Atorvastatin vs Simvastatin in an Employed Population

CONCLUSION: In this study, treatment with atorvastatin compared with simvastatin was associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular events, reduced indirect costs, and a minimal difference in total costs to employers. (Source: Mayo Clinic Proceedings)

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  Efflux transporter-mediated interactions with atorvastatin--interesting findings with multiple substrates: istradefylline, verapamil, and rifampicin.

Authors: Srinivas NR PMID: 19955497 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology)

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  What does the evidence tell us about treating very-high-risk patients to an LDL

Authors: Nelson C, Hitchcock K, Bohlen JA, Malaty W No studies directly compare low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels <70 mg/dL to levels of 71 to 100 mg/dL in very-high-risk patients. However, no evidence suggests a "floor" for LDL cholesterol levels beyond which further reductions of heart disease risk cannot be achieved. The target LDL cholesterol of <70 mg/dL is based on data extrapolated from RCTs. Comparing larger (80 mg) with smaller doses of atorvastatin shows that larger doses reduce LDL and major cardiac events more than smaller doses. No studies report patient-oriented outcomes of treatments for patients who fail to reach target LDL levels <100 mg/dL. PMID: 19961822 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The Journal of Family Practice)

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  Omega-3 fatty acids and atorvastatin affect connexin 43 expression in the aorta of hereditary hypertriglyceridemic rats.

Authors: Dlugosová K, Weismann P, Bernátová I, Sotníková R, Slezák J, Okruhlicová L Statins and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) reduce cardiovascular disease incidence during hypertriglyceridemia (HTG). To elucidate possible cardioprotective mechanisms, we focused on gap junction protein connexin 43 (Cx43). Its expression is disturbed during atherogenesis, but little information is available on its expression during HTG. Experiments were performed on adult male hereditary HTG (hHTG) rats treated with n-3 PUFA (30 mg/day) and atorvastatin (0.5 mg/100 g body weight per day) for 2 months. Cx43 expression and distribution in the aorta were investigated by using Western blotting and immunolabeling, followed by quantitative analysis. Transmis...

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  Statin prescription by Croatian family doctors lack of systematic proactive approach to cardiovascular disease prevention.

Authors: Vrdoljak D, Bergman Marković B, Kranjcević K The aim of this study was to investigate statin prescription by family doctors (GP) in primary (PP) and secondary (SP) prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Patients' socio-demographic data, total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) thresholds for statin prescription, indications, data on GP and practices were registered. Statins were prescribed in 11.2% enlisted patients (64.11% PP, 35.88% SP), mostly aged 70+. In PP, thresholds were TC 6.2 +/- 1.09 mmol/L, LDL-C 3.6 mmol/L, in SP 5.4 +/- 1.26 mmol/L, 2,7 mmol/L, respectively. Most frequently prescribed statin in PP was 10 mg atorvastatin (49.28%), in SP it was 20 mg simvastatin (48.36%). Participating GPs were women, aged 39 +/ 5.49, working for 13 +/-...

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  Med Sci Monit 2009; 15(12):MS12-23 "The influence of atorvastatin on parameters of inflammation and function of the left ventricle in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy"

Conclusions: Atorvastatin treatment significantly decreases the concentration of IL-6, and NT-proBNP in patients with DCM after 2 months of therapy. These results were consistent with the significant lengthening of the distance in 6-MWT, improvement of NYHA class, and fewer rehospitalizations due to heart failure, observed both after 2 and 6 months of atorvastatin treatment (ClinialTrial.gov No.: NCT01015144). (Source: Medical Science Monitor)

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  Atorvastatin/sirolimus interaction: Late airway anastomotic dehiscence: case report

(Source: Reactions)

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  Atorvastatin as a Potential Antimalarial Drug: In Vitro Synergy in Combinational Therapy with Dihydroartemisinin.

Authors: Savini H, Souraud JB, Briolant S, Baret E, Amalvict R, Rogier C, Pradines B Atorvastatin (AVA) is a synthetic inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA). ... PMID: 19949060 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy)

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  Dual effect of statin medication on the periodontium.

CONCLUSION: Statin medication appears to have an effect on the periodontium that is dependent on the inflammatory condition of the periodontium. More evidence is needed to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the effects of statins. PMID: 19930091 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Journal of Clinical Periodontology)

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  The Defensive Effect of Benfotiamine in Sodium Arsenite-Induced Experimental Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction.

Authors: Verma S, Reddy K, Balakumar P The present study has been designed to investigate the effect of benfotiamine, a thiamine derivative, in sodium arsenite-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction (VED) in rats. Sodium arsenite (1.5 mg(-1) kg(-1) day(-1) i.p., 2 weeks) was administered in rats to produce VED. The development of VED was assessed by employing isolated aortic ring preparation and estimating the serum and aortic concentrations of nitrite/nitrate. Further, the integrity of vascular endothelium in thoracic aorta was assessed by scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, the oxidative stress was assessed by estimating serum thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and aortic superoxide anion generation. The administration of sodium arsenite markedly produced VED by at...

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  Atorvastatin improves the response to sildenafil in hypercholesterolemic men with erectile ...

Department of Urology, Shahid Modarress Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University (MC), Tehran, Iran. (Source: UroToday)

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  Statin use and development of atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials and observational studies

Source: DARE Area: Evidence > Disease Focused Reviews CRD Summary: The authors concluded that statins may be effective in preventing atrial fibrillation especially in postoperative patients, but there was insufficient evidence to recommend statins solely to prevent atrial fibrillation. Further research was required. This was generally a well-conducted review and the authors' cautious conclusions reflected the paucity of good-quality evidence. [Included studies assessed a variety of statins. All but one of the RCTs evaluated atorvastatin (10 mg to 80 mg). Most of the observational studies evaluated more than one statin. ] CRD Commentary: The review question and inclusion criteria were clearly stated. Several relevant sources were searched. Attempts were made to minimise publication an...

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  Atorvastatin-induced cell toxicity in yeast is linked to disruption of protein isoprenylation

In this study, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was exploited as a model system to gain further insight into the molecular mechanisms of atorvastatin toxicity. Atorvastatin-treated yeast cells display marked morphological deformities, have reduced cell viability and are highly vulnerable to perturbed mitochondrial function. Supplementation assays of atorvastatin-treated cells reveal that both loss of viability and mitochondrial dysfunction occur as a consequence of perturbation of the sterol synthesis pathway. This was further investigated by supplementing statin-treated cells with various metabolites of the sterol synthesis pathway that are believed to be essential for cell function. Ergosterol, coenzyme Q and a heme precursor were all ineffective in the prevention of statin-induced mitochondrial...

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  Human Skeletal Muscle Drug Transporters Determine Local Exposure and Toxicity of Statins.

Conclusions: These results identify key membrane transporters as modulators of skeletal muscle statin exposure and toxicity. PMID: 19940267 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Circulation Research)

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  Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Reduction and Goal Achievement With Ezetimibe/Simvastatin Versus Atorvastatin or Rosuvastatin in Patients With Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, or Neither Disease, Stratified By National Cholesterol Education Program Risk Category

Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders , Vol. 0, No. 0. (Source: Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders)

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  Use and cost of branded and generic drugs in patients with coronary heart disease--results from a prospective survey of 1008 patients in two London hospitals

Conclusion: Our results show a high rate of use of secondary preventive cardiac medications in patients undergoing coronary revascularization procedures, but the use of ACE inhibitors or beta blockers is still overlooked in about 1 in 10 patients. Branded drugs are prescribed in about half of all patients undergoing PCI and CABG, but in almost 90% of cases, a generic equivalent could have been used to achieve similar risk reduction. If our results reflect wider practice, an estimated £11 million a year would be saved by the National Health Service by switching to generic alternative drugs. (Source: QJM)

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  2-methoxyestradiol inhibits atorvastatin-induced rounding of human vascular smooth muscle cells

In this study we examine whether estrogen and its metabolite, 2-methoxyestradiol (2ME), affect the rounding response of human vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) induced by ATV. Twenty-four hour treatment with ATV (10-100 µM) induced rounding of cultured human SMCs. Addition of 2ME (1-20 µM), but not 17[beta]-estradiol, for 2 h induced re-spreading of rounded cells. Our further studies showed that the effects of 2ME were mimicked by microtubule-disrupting drugs and inhibited by taxol. Inhibition of RhoA and ROCK (Rho-kinase) by C3-toxin and H-1152, respectively, blocked 2ME effects. 2ME effects were also blocked by treatment with either actin-interfering drugs, such as cytochalasin D and jasplakinolide, or myosin inhibitor blebbistatin. ML-7 and -9, the inhibitors for myosin light chain ...

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  Atorvastatin increases low density lipoprotein receptor mRNA expression in human circulating mononuclear cells.

We examined the influence of atorvastatin on the expression of the mRNAs for HMGCR, LDLR and LDLR-related protein (LRP), in circulating mononuclear cells. Twelve human subjects were treated with atorvastatin, 20 mg/day for 4 weeks. 3. Atorvastatin decreased plasma total and LDL cholesterol by 29% (P<0.0001) and 41% (P<0.001) respectively and increased LDLR mRNA abundance, in absolute terms, by 35% (P<0.001), and by 31% (P<0.0001) and 37% (P=0.01) relative to the reference GAPDH and beta-actin mRNAs respectively. By contrast, no significant influence was demonstrated on the abundance of LRP or HMGCR mRNA. 4. The increase in LDLR mRNA in circulating mononuclear cells agrees with the few human studies conducted, and with in-vitro and animal studies, while the unchanged HMGCR mRNA ...

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  Pfizer submits new paediatric data for atorvastatin to European Medicines Agency

Source: BioSpace Area: News Pfizer Inc has announced that it has submitted paediatric data for atorvastatin to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) and also developed a new chewable form of the drug, including a paediatric-appropriate 5 mg dose, which is part of this submission. (Source: NeLM - Cardiovascular Medicine)

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  Pfizer Submits New Pediatric Data For Lipitor(R) (Atorvastatin) To The European Medicines Agency (EMEA)

Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) announced it has submitted pediatric data for Lipitor® (atorvastatin) to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). Pfizer has also developed a new chewable form of Lipitor, including a pediatric-appropriate 5 mg dose, which is part of this submission. (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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  Pfizer Submits New Pediatric Data For Lipitor(R) (Atorvastatin) To The European Medicines Agency (EMEA)

Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) announced it has submitted pediatric data for Lipitor® (atorvastatin) to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). Pfizer has also developed a new chewable form of Lipitor, including a pediatric-appropriate 5 mg dose, which is part of this submission. (Source: Cholesterol News From Medical News Today)

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  Pfizer Submits New Pediatric Data For Lipitor(R) (Atorvastatin) To The European Medicines Agency (EMEA)

Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) announced it has submitted pediatric data for Lipitor® (atorvastatin) to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). Pfizer has also developed a new chewable form of Lipitor, including a pediatric-appropriate 5 mg dose, which is part of this submission... (Source: Cholesterol News From Medical News Today)

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  Pfizer Inc Submits New Pediatric Data for Lipitor to EMEA

From EquityBites (November 18, 2009) Health care company Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) declared on Wednesday the submission of paediatric data for Lipitor (atorvastatin) to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). This follows the EMEA's conclusion that... (Source: Drugs.com - Pharma News)

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  NicOx - NCX 6560 meets primary and secondary objectives in first-in-man study

Sophia Antipolis, France, November 13, 2009 - NicOx S.A. (NYSE Euronext Paris: COX) today announced that a phase 1b, first-in-man study for NCX 6560, versus placebo and Lipitor® (atorvastatin), has met its primary and secondary objectives. The... (Source: Drugs.com - Clinical Trials)

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  Lack of Robust Neurologic Benefits with Simvastatin or Atorvastatin Treatment After Acute Thoracic Spinal Cord Contusion Injury.

Authors: Mann CM, Lee JH, Hillyer J, Stammers AM, Tetzlaff W, Kwon BK Although much progress has been made in the clinical care of patients with acute spinal cord injuries, there are no reliably effective treatments, which minimize secondary damage and improve neurologic outcome. The time and expense needed to establish de novo pharmacologic or biologic therapies for acute SCI has encouraged the development of neuroprotective treatments based on drugs that are already in clinical use, and, therefore, have the advantage of a well-characterized safety and pharmacokinetic profile in humans. Statins are the most commonly prescribed class of lipid-lowering drugs and, recently, it has been recognized that statins also have powerful immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects. This paper d...

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  Stereoselective introduction of two chiral centers by a single diketoreductase: an efficient biocatalytic route for the synthesis of statin side chains.

Authors: Wu X, Wang L, Wang S, Chen Y Statins, including atorvastatin (Lipitor((R))), are the top-selling drugs in the world. The biocatalytic production of chiral side chains of statin drugs is of great interest to academia and industry. Stereoselective double reduction of a beta,delta-diketo ester catalyzed by a diketoreductase offers a simple and efficient route for the preparation of statin side chains. Comparison of different cofactor regeneration systems resulted in an easy and cost-effective process for this enzymatic reduction. PMID: 19916068 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Amino Acids)

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  Differing effect of statins on insulin sensitivity in non-diabetics: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Conclusions: Statins do not appear to demonstrate a ‘class effect’ on IS in patients without diabetes. Differences between individual statins likely exist that may partially explain the findings of previously conducted meta-analyses examining the impact of statins on the development of diabetes. (Source: Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice)

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  Atorvastatin: Cholestatic jaundice in an elderly patient: case report

(Source: Reactions)

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  Three-Dimensional Carotid Ultrasound Segmentation Variability Dependence on Signal Difference and Boundary Orientation

Abstract: Quantitative measurements of the progression (or regression) of carotid plaque burden are important in monitoring patients and evaluating new treatment options. We previously developed a quantitative metric to analyze changes in carotid plaque morphology from 3-D ultrasound (US) on a point-by-point basis. This method requires multiple segmentations of the arterial wall and lumen boundaries to obtain the local standard deviation (SD) of vessel-wall-plus-plaque thickness (VWT) so that t-tests could be used to determine whether a change in VWT is statistically significant. However, the requirement for multiple segmentations makes clinical trials laborious and time-consuming. Therefore, this study was designed to establish the relationship between local segmentation SD and local sign...

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  Dr Reddy's files for marketing Lipitor generic

Dr Reddy's Laboratories has filed for marketing a generic version of Pfizer's cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor in the US. (Source: The Economic Times Healthcare and Biotech News)

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  Dr Reddy's files for marketing Lipitor generic

Dr Reddy's Laboratories has filed for marketing a generic version of Pfizer's cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor in the US. (Source: The Economic Times Healthcare and Biotech News)

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  Highly stereoselective hydrogenations-As key-steps in the total synthesis of statins.

Authors: Andrushko N, Andrushko V, Tararov V, Korostylev A, König G, Börner A Statins are inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) and became the standard of care for treatment of hypercholesterolemia because of their efficacy, safety, and long-term benefits. They are administered as diastereo- and enantiomerically pure compounds. We summarize here two new approaches for the total synthesis of the most important representatives, atorvastatin, and rosuvastatin, based on highly stereoselective hydrogenations as key-steps. Chirality 2010. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. PMID: 19899159 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Chirality)

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  Effect of atorvastatin on tumor growth and metastasis in a breast cancer cell xenograft model and its mechanism

Abstract  This paper aims to evaluate the effects and the possible mechanisms of atorvastatin on tumor growth and metastasis in a xenograft tumor model. Twenty-four female athymic BALB/C mice with MDA-MB-435 xenograft tumors were randomly assigned to three groups: a control group, a low-dose atorvastatin treatment group, and a high-dose atorvastatin treatment group. The mice in the treatment groups began to be administered with atorvastatin (10 or 20 mg/kg per day) when the xenograft tumors reached 1 cm in diameter. At the end of the experiment, the tumor volume and weight and the lung metastasis colonies of each mouse were measured. Western blotting was applied to detect phosphorylation of protein kinase B (PKB, Akt), extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-te...

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  The long-term effect between co-administration of simvastatin and ezetimibe and atorvastatin on central pulse wave velocity in adults with hypercholesterolemia

The various statin might contribute to a change in arterial stiffness independent of the cholesterol-lowering effects of statin therapy. The aim of this study was to compare the short-term effect between co-administration of simvastatin and ezetimibe (vytorin) and atorvastatin (lipitor) on pulse wave velocity (PWV). (Source: Artery Research)

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  Achievement of ldl-c levels with three different drug strategies after failure of simvastatin 40mg

Background: NICE lipid guidelines recommend simvastatin (S) 40mg as initial therapy, after lifestyle changes, in most patients requiring treatment. When desirable levels have not been met, increasing the dose, switching to a more potent statin or adding ezetimibe (E) can be considered. The addition of E to S was compared with switching to atorvastatin (A) or rosuvastatin (R) in a randomised, double-blind trial. (Source: Atherosclerosis)

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  [Effects of plasma containing Buyang Huanwu Decoction and its effective components and total Panax notoginseng saponins on vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation induced by platelet-derived growth factor.]

Conclusion: BYHWD and its alkaloids and glycosides have similar roles of resisting VSMC proliferation to TSPN and atorvastatin. Alkaloids and glycosides may be the major effective substances of anti-VSMC proliferation in BYHWD. PMID: 19912742 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Zhong xi yi jie he xue bao : Journal of Chinese Integrative Medicine.)

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  Atorvastatin mediates increases in intralesional BAX and BAK expression in human end-stage abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Authors: Schweitzer M, Mitmaker B, Obrand D, Sheiner N, Abraham C, Dostanic S, Chalifour LE Chronic apoptosis activation may participate in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) expansion. Statin treatment slows AAA progression independent of cholesterol lowering. We hypothesized that Atorvastatin treatment alters apoptosis protein expression and activation in AAAs. Protein was isolated from the central and distal portions of end-stage human AAA tissue obtained during surgical repair from non-statin (NST) and Atorvastatin-treated (AT) patients. Expression was compared using immunoblots. Bcl-2 expression was unchanged but Bak (4-fold, p < 0.013) and Bax (3-fold, p < 0.035) expression was increased in AT (n = 12) versus NST (n = 15) patients. No cytochrome c release or caspase 3 activati...

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  Atorvastatin improves the impaired baroreflex sensitivity via anti-oxidant effect in the rostral ventrolateral medulla of SHRSP.

Authors: Kishi T, Hirooka Y, Konno S, Sunagawa K We have demonstrated that oxidative stress in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), a vasomotor center in brainstem, increases sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) and that oral administration of atorvastatin inhibited SNA via anti-oxidant effect in the RVLM of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSPs). The impairment of baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) is known as the predictive factor of mortality in the hypertension and BRS is impaired in SHRSP. The aim of the present study was to determine whether oral administration of atorvastatin improved the impaired BRS via anti-oxidant effect in the RVLM in SHRSP. Atorvastatin (20 mg/kg/day) or vehicle was orally administered for 28 days in SHRSPs. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), heart r...

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  Effect of atorvastatin and fenofibric acid on adipokine release from visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue of patients with mixed dyslipidemia and normolipidemic subjects.

Authors: Krysiak R, Labuzek K, Okopień B Because of methodological limitations and conflicting results of studies conducted thus far, the possible involvement of human adipose tissue in pleiotropic effects of statins and fibrates requires better understanding. Samples of visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue obtained from 23 mixed dyslipidemic patients and 23 normolipidemic subjects were treated in vitro for 48 h with atorvastatin, fenofibric acid or both these agents. Visceral and subcutaneous fat of mixed dyslipidemic patients released more leptin, resistin, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and less adiponectin than respective adipose tissue of patients without lipid abnormalities. In both groups of patients,...

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  Reduced Intimal Hyperplasia in Rabbits via Medical Therapy after Carotid Venous Bypass.

Authors: Yucel S, Bahcivan M, Gol MK, Erenler BH, Kolbakir F, Keceligil HT Intimal hyperplasia is a major cause of restenosis after the interventional or surgical treatment of occlusive arterial disease. We investigated the effects of clopidogrel, calcium dobesilate, nebivolol, and atorvastatin on the development of intimal hyperplasia in rabbits after carotid venous bypass surgery. We divided 40 male New Zealand rabbits into 4 study groups and 1 control group. After occluding the carotid arteries of the rabbits, we constructed jugular venous grafts between the proximal and the distal segments of the occluded artery. Thereafter, group 1 (control) received no medication. We administered daily oral doses of clopidogrel to group 2, calcium dobesilate to group 3, nebivolol to group 4, and ...

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  Study: Cholesterol drugs may improve flu survival

A new treatment for swine flu may already be on pharmacy shelves -- cholesterol-lowering statin drugs like Lipitor and Zocor. (Source: CTV Health)

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  Study: Cholesterol Drugs May Improve Flu Survival

Doctors may have a new treatment for swine flu that's already on pharmacy shelves -- cholesterol-lowering statin drugs like Lipitor and Zocor. (Source: WDSU.com - Health)

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  Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs like Lipitor, Zocor, may improve flu survival, study finds

Doctors may have a new treatment for swine flu that's already on pharmacy shelves — cholesterol-lowering statin drugs like Lipitor and Zocor. A study released Thursday finds that people who were already on these drugs when they caught seasonal... (Source: OrlandoSentinel: Medical Research)

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  Ezetimibe Makes Atorvastatin More Efficient In Lowering Lipids In Men And Women Age 65 And Older

Adding ezetimibe to atorvastatin significantly boosted the attainment of lipid targets as specified by both Canadian and European guidelines in elderly patients aged 65 and older and the combination produced superior results than simply increasing the dose of atorvastatin alone, Dr... (Source: Statins News From Medical News Today)

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  Ezetimibe Makes Atorvastatin More Efficient In Lowering Lipids In Men And Women Age 65 And Older

Adding ezetimibe to atorvastatin significantly boosted the attainment of lipid targets as specified by both Canadian and European guidelines in elderly patients aged 65 and older and the combination produced superior results than simply increasing the dose of atorvastatin alone, Dr. (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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  Atorvastatin improves the response to sildenafil in hypercholesterolemic men with erectile dysfunction not initially responsive to sildenafil

Authors: F Dadkhah, M R Safarinejad, M A Asgari, S Y Hosseini, A Lashay & E Amini (Source: International Journal of Impotence Research)

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  Statistics on hospital prescribing in England 2008

Source: NHS Information Centre Area: News The NHS Information Centre has published details of drug expenditure in hospitals in England 2008, including a table focussing on drugs positively appraised by NICE and comparing use of "low cost" drugs between SHAs. The overall NHS expenditure on medicines in 2008 was £11.6 billion and of the drugs positively appraised by NICE, the greatest overall cost was for atorvastatin but etanercept incurred the greatest cost in hospitals. (Source: NeLM - News)

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  Atorvastatin improves response to treatment for erectile dysfunction

Atorvastatin therapy improves the response to sildenafil of men with erectile dysfunction and hypercholesterolemia, report researchers. (Source: MedWire News - Lipidology)

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  In vitro interactions between primycin and different statins in their effects against some clinically important fungi.

Authors: Nyilasi I, Kocsube S, Pesti M, Lukacs G, Papp T, Vagvolgyi C The in vitro antifungal activities of primycin and various statins against some opportunistic pathogenic fungi were investigated. Primycin completely inhibited the growth of Candida albicans (MIC: 64 microg ml(-1)) and Candida glabrata (MIC: 32 microg ml(-1)), and was very effective against Paecilomyces variotii (MIC: 2 microg ml(-1)), but it had little effect on Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus or Rhizopus oryzae (MIC: >64 microg ml(-1)). The fungi exhibited different degrees of sensitivity to the statins; fluvastatin and simvastatin exerted potent antifungal activities against a wide variety of clinically important fungal pathogens. Atorvastatin, rosuvastatin and lovastatin were slightly effective again...

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  Adding ezetimibe to atorvastatin improves lipid control

(Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada) Adding ezetimibe to atorvastatin significantly boosted the attainment of lipid targets as specified by both Canadian and European guidelines in elderly patients aged 65 and older and the combination produced superior results than simply increasing the dose of atorvastatin alone, Dr. Christian Constance told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2009, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

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  Adding Ezetimibe To Atorvastatin Improves Lipid Control, Study Finds

Adding ezetimibe to atorvastatin significantly boosted the attainment of lipid targets as specified by both Canadian and European guidelines in elderly patients aged 65 and older and the combination produced superior results than simply increasing the dose of atorvastatin alone, a new study shows. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

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  Pfizer’s Q3 income rose, despite lower Lipitor sales

Pfizer has reported a double-digit increase in net income for the 2009 third quarter, despite falling cardiovascular pharmaceutical sales. (Source: Cardiovascular Business News)

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  Occurrence and fate of rosuvastatin, rosuvastatin lactone, and atorvastatin in Canadian sewage and surface water samples.

Authors: Lee HB, Peart TE, Lewina Svoboda M, Backus S Rosuvastatin (RST) and atorvastatin (ATO) are prescription drugs and members in the statin family used for the treatment of elevated cholesterol levels. A method using solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the determination of ATO, RST and its metabolite rosuvastatin lactone (RSTL) in sewage and surface water samples has been developed. In the influent and effluent samples collected from 11 sewage treatment plants located in Ontario, Canada, ATO, RST, and RSTL were detected in all samples with median concentrations of 166ngL(-1) (influent) and 77ngL(-1) (effluent) for ATO, 448ngL(-1) (influent) and 324ngL(-1) (effluent) for RST, as well as 158ngL(-1) (influent) and 41ngL(-1) (efflue...

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  Lipitor and erectile dysfunction

My husband has high cholesterol. His doctor put him on Lipitor. After the dosage was increased, I noticed he wasn't as enthusiastic about our previously very active sex life. He said he wasn't feeling aroused and his usual morning erections weren't occurring. He asked his doctor if the Lipitor might be responsible, and the doc said to stop it for a month and see what happened. (Source: L.A. Times - Health)

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  A green-by-design biocatalytic process for atorvastatin intermediate

Steven K. Ma, John Gruber, Chris Davis, Lisa Newman, David Gray, Alica Wang, John Grate, Gjalt W. Huisman, Roger A. Sheldon (Paper from Green Chem.) Steven K. Ma, Green Chem., 2010, DOI: 10.1039/b919115c To cite this article before page numbers are assigned, use the DOI form of citation above. The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry (Source: RSC - Green Chem. latest articles)

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  Natural History of Markers of Collagen Turnover in Patients With Early Diastolic Dysfunction and Impact of Eplerenone

Conclusions: This study demonstrates progressive increases in markers of collagen turnover and inflammation in HFPSF with diastolic dysfunction. Despite high background utilization of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone modulators, eplerenone therapy prevents a progressive increase in pro-collagen type-III aminoterminal peptide and may have a role in management of this disease. (The Effect of Eplerenone and Atorvastatin on Markers of Collagen Turnover in Diastolic Heart Failure; NCT00505336) (Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology)

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  Chantix slash costs

The maker of Lipitor, Viagra and anti-smoking drug Chantix is $2.88 billion in the black after slashing costs (Source: Pharmacy Europe)

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  Quantitation of atorvastatin in human plasma using directly suspended acceptor droplet in liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction and high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection.

Authors: Farahani H, Norouzi P, Beheshti A, Sobhi HR, Dinarvand R, Ganjali MR A simple and sensitive methodology based on liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction (LLLME) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) has been successfully developed for the determination of atorvastatin (AT) in human plasma. AT was first extracted from 4.5mL acidic aqueous sample (diluted plasma, donor phase, pH 1) at temperature 45 degrees C through 400muL 1-octanol for 4.5min, while being agitated by a stirring bar at 1250rpm. Then, a 5.5muL free suspended basic aqueous droplet (acceptor phase, pH 10) was delivered to the top-center position of the organic membrane. The mixture was stirred at 650rpm for 7.5min and the analyte was back-extracted into the droplet. Finall...

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  Pfizer Profit Jumps 26%

Pfizer's profit rose 26% as cost cutting helped fight competition from generic drugs to sales of its blockbuster cholesterol-treatment, Lipitor. (Source: WSJ.com: Health)

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  Drugmaker Pfizer's 3Q profit jumps 26 percent on cost cuts; more expected with Wyeth deal done

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Drugmaker Pfizer Inc. on Tuesday posted a 26 percent jump in third-quarter profit despite the recession, as sharp cost cuts made up for a dip in sales. The maker of cholesterol fighter Lipitor, impotence treatment Viagra and... (Source: OrlandoSentinel: Medical Research)

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  Effect of preoperative atorvastatin therapy on paraoxonase activity and oxidative stress after coronary artery bypass grafting.

In conclusion, 15 days of preoperative atorvastatin therapy does not significantly change either the serum PON1 activity or the oxidative stress after CABG. PMID: 19843623 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Perfusion)

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  Pfizer to pay $1.3 billion criminal fine for misbranding its drugs

(NaturalNews) In the largest criminal fine ever levied against any drug company in the world, a unit of U.S.-based Pfizer, Inc. was sentenced to pay $1.3 billion in criminal fines and revenue forfeiture. It's all part of a $2.3 billion settlement announced by the Justice Department. The case centers around Pfizer's criminal "off-label marketing" of four drugs, including the painkiller Bextra. After whistleblowers filed lawsuits in three states, the U.S. Justice Department took an interest in the case and prosecuted Pfizer for criminal acts.In the settlement, Pfizer admitted to a felony crime and agreed to pay $2.3 billion in fines and other fees. The investigation of Pfizer reportedly turned up evidence that Pfizer engaged in kickback payments to doctors for nine drugs, including Viagra an...

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  Aggressive lipid-lowering is more effective than moderate lipid-lowering treatment in carotid plaque stabilization

Objective: Atherosclerotic plaque stabilization is a promising strategy to prevent cerebrovascular events in patients with carotid atherosclerosis. Vascular calcification inhibitors, known osteopontin (OPN) and osteoprotegerin (OPG), have emerged as novel cardiovascular biomarkers. This open-label, prospective study aimed to examine whether aggressive lipid-lowering therapy with atorvastatin is more effective than moderate lipid-lowering in increasing carotid plaque echogenicity, assessed by Gray-Scale Median (GSM) score and suppressing serum OPN and OPG levels in patients with moderate carotid stenosis.Methods: One hundred forty patients (64 males, 76 females), aged 50 to 75 years, with carotid stenosis (North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial [NASCET]: 30%-60% for symptom...

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  A 47-year-old female with ulcerated lesions

A 47-year-old African American female presented to our department for the evaluation of a large ulcerated lesion on her left wrist and a similar lesion on the right side of the base of her skull that had been present for 1 and a half years and 1 year, respectively. Both lesions began as small papules and had progressively increased in size. The patient denied any recent trauma to the areas, any previous similar lesions, and stated that the lesions did not bleed or cause pain. Her medical history was significant for rheumatic fever, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Her medications include hydrochlorothiazide, atorvastatin, lisinopril, metoprolol, and aspirin. (Source: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology)

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  The SLCO1B1*5 Genetic Variant Is Associated With Statin-Induced Side Effects

Conclusions: SLCO1B1*5 genotype and female sex were associated mild statin-induced side effects. These findings expand the results of a recent genome-wide association study of statin myopathy with CK >3× normal to milder, statin-induced, muscle side effects. (Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology)

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  Statins Making Comeback in Multiple Sclerosis

After the failure of atorvastatin, many speculated enthusiasm for statins in multiple sclerosis would wane, but researchers say it is too soon to rule them out. Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines)

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  CVN: Heart Minute

Heart Minute: Lipitor in PCI (Source: Cardiosource)

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  Effect of Preoperative Atorvastatin Therapy on Atrial Fibrillation Following Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

Conclusions: Administration of atorvastatin 20 mg/day, initiated 1 week before elective off-pump CABG and continued in the postoperative period, significantly decreases postoperative AF. PMID: 19822977 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Circulation Journal)

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Top Viagra Store

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