New Findings from JUPITER Show Rosuvastatin Cuts Stroke Risk in Half Among Those with Elevated CRP Levels and Commonly Acceptable Cholesterol Levels
Men and women with low levels of bad cholesterol but elevated levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein who were randomly given rosuvastatin, reduced their risk of fatal or non-fatal stroke by 48 percent.
Boston, MA, February 11, 2010 --(PR.com)-- In the latest findings from the landmark JUPITER trial, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that men and women in the study, with low levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) but elevated levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP, a biomarker for inflammation) who were randomly given rosuvastatin, reduced their risk of fatal or non-fatal stroke by 48 percent compared to those in the study who were randomly given a placebo. The findings appear in the latest issue of the journal Circulation.
JUPITER is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 1315 sites in 26 countries. Nearly 18,000 JUPITER study participants with an LDL level of 130mg/dL or lower and an hsCRP level of 2.0mg/L or higher and no history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes were randomly assigned 20mg of rosuvastatin or placebo daily. The participants were followed for an average of nearly two years, and some were followed for up to five years.
During the course of the study the researchers observed an overall total of 97 strokes among the participants, with 33 seen in the rosuvastatin group compared to 64 in the placebo group, for a 48 percent reduction in the risk of stroke for those randomly assigned to rosuvastatin. The vast majority of the strokes were ischemic (70 out of 97 total), and the researchers observed 23 ischemic strokes in the rosuvastatin group and 47 in the placebo group, for a 51 percent reduction in stroke risk for participants taking active therapy. A similar 48 percent risk reduction with rosuvastatin therapy was seen for non-fatal strokes. The researchers did not observe any differences in hemorrhagic stroke between the two treatment arms.
“The results are striking: for the first time in a population of patients without established cardiovascular disease, randomized treatment with statin therapy led to a statistically significant reduction in the risk of stroke. That risk reduction was large and clinically relevant; participants taking rosuvastatin had a 50 percent reduction in the risk of ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke. Even more remarkable is the fact that these results were seen in a population with acceptable levels of LDL cholesterol, but elevated levels of hsCRP. Depending on a patient’s other cardiovascular risk factors, many physicians would not treat levels of LDL cholesterol this low, and yet statin therapy cut the risk of any kind of stroke, including non-fatal and ischemic strokes, approximately in half,” said Brendan Everett, MD, MPH, cardiologist and researcher in the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “The benefits were consistent in all the patients groups we examined, including men and women, Caucasians, Blacks, and Hispanics, and those without and without a family history of cardiovascular disease. All groups seemed to derive the same benefit from rosuvastatin therapy.
The research was funded by a grant from AstraZeneca.
Led by Dr. Paul Ridker of BWH, JUPITER was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted by investigators in 26 countries and overseen by an academic statistician (Robert Glynn, PhD, Harvard University, USA) and an independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board (chaired by Professor Rory Collins, Oxford University, UK). The study was funded by AstraZeneca, US who had no access to unblinded trial data and played no role in analysis or interpretation of the study data nor in manuscript preparation. Dr. Ridker is listed as a co-inventor on patents held by BWH that relate to the use of inflammatory biomarkers in cardiovascular disease that have been licensed to AstraZeneca and Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics in the therapeutic and diagnostics field respectively.
About Brigham and Women's Hospital:-
Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is a 777-bed nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a founding member of Partners HealthCare, an integrated health care delivery network. In July of 2008, the hospital opened the Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, the most advanced center of its kind. BWH is committed to excellence in patient care with expertise in virtually every specialty of medicine and surgery. The BWH medical preeminence dates back to 1832, and today that rich history in clinical care is coupled with its national leadership in quality improvement and patient safety initiatives and its dedication to educating and training the next generation of health care professionals. Through investigation and discovery conducted at its Biomedical Research Institute (BRI), BWH is an international leader in basic, clinical and translational research on human diseases, involving more than 860 physician-investigators and renowned biomedical scientists and faculty supported by more than $416 M in funding. BWH is also home to major landmark epidemiologic population studies, including the Nurses' and Physicians' Health Studies and the Women's Health Initiative. For more information about BWH, please visit http://www.brighamandwomens.org/
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JUPITER is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 1315 sites in 26 countries. Nearly 18,000 JUPITER study participants with an LDL level of 130mg/dL or lower and an hsCRP level of 2.0mg/L or higher and no history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes were randomly assigned 20mg of rosuvastatin or placebo daily. The participants were followed for an average of nearly two years, and some were followed for up to five years.
During the course of the study the researchers observed an overall total of 97 strokes among the participants, with 33 seen in the rosuvastatin group compared to 64 in the placebo group, for a 48 percent reduction in the risk of stroke for those randomly assigned to rosuvastatin. The vast majority of the strokes were ischemic (70 out of 97 total), and the researchers observed 23 ischemic strokes in the rosuvastatin group and 47 in the placebo group, for a 51 percent reduction in stroke risk for participants taking active therapy. A similar 48 percent risk reduction with rosuvastatin therapy was seen for non-fatal strokes. The researchers did not observe any differences in hemorrhagic stroke between the two treatment arms.
“The results are striking: for the first time in a population of patients without established cardiovascular disease, randomized treatment with statin therapy led to a statistically significant reduction in the risk of stroke. That risk reduction was large and clinically relevant; participants taking rosuvastatin had a 50 percent reduction in the risk of ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke. Even more remarkable is the fact that these results were seen in a population with acceptable levels of LDL cholesterol, but elevated levels of hsCRP. Depending on a patient’s other cardiovascular risk factors, many physicians would not treat levels of LDL cholesterol this low, and yet statin therapy cut the risk of any kind of stroke, including non-fatal and ischemic strokes, approximately in half,” said Brendan Everett, MD, MPH, cardiologist and researcher in the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “The benefits were consistent in all the patients groups we examined, including men and women, Caucasians, Blacks, and Hispanics, and those without and without a family history of cardiovascular disease. All groups seemed to derive the same benefit from rosuvastatin therapy.
The research was funded by a grant from AstraZeneca.
Led by Dr. Paul Ridker of BWH, JUPITER was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted by investigators in 26 countries and overseen by an academic statistician (Robert Glynn, PhD, Harvard University, USA) and an independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board (chaired by Professor Rory Collins, Oxford University, UK). The study was funded by AstraZeneca, US who had no access to unblinded trial data and played no role in analysis or interpretation of the study data nor in manuscript preparation. Dr. Ridker is listed as a co-inventor on patents held by BWH that relate to the use of inflammatory biomarkers in cardiovascular disease that have been licensed to AstraZeneca and Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics in the therapeutic and diagnostics field respectively.
About Brigham and Women's Hospital:-
Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is a 777-bed nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a founding member of Partners HealthCare, an integrated health care delivery network. In July of 2008, the hospital opened the Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, the most advanced center of its kind. BWH is committed to excellence in patient care with expertise in virtually every specialty of medicine and surgery. The BWH medical preeminence dates back to 1832, and today that rich history in clinical care is coupled with its national leadership in quality improvement and patient safety initiatives and its dedication to educating and training the next generation of health care professionals. Through investigation and discovery conducted at its Biomedical Research Institute (BRI), BWH is an international leader in basic, clinical and translational research on human diseases, involving more than 860 physician-investigators and renowned biomedical scientists and faculty supported by more than $416 M in funding. BWH is also home to major landmark epidemiologic population studies, including the Nurses' and Physicians' Health Studies and the Women's Health Initiative. For more information about BWH, please visit http://www.brighamandwomens.org/
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Suzanne Benz
(617) 534-1604
http://www.brighamandwomens.org/
75 Francis Street
Boston, MA 02115 USA
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