Rosuvastatin delays carotid intima-media thickness progression in Asians

Treatment with rosuvastatin appears to significantly reduce the progression of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) over 2 years in Asian patients with subclinical atherosclerosis, a study has shown.

The randomized, double-blind study involved Chinese people who were given either rosuvastatin 20 mg (n=272) or placebo (n=271) daily over 104 weeks. The mean age of the overall population was 59.4 years, and 56 percent were women. Mean duration of exposure was 611.8 days in the rosuvastatin group and 613.8 days in the placebo group.

Researchers assessed the yearly rate of change in mean of the maximum CIMT measurements from each of 12 carotid artery sites (near and far walls of the right and left common carotid artery, carotid bulb, and internal carotid artery), taken seven times over the study period as the primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints were CIMT changes at different artery sites and lipid-parameter changes. Safety was also assessed.

Compared with placebo, rosuvastatin was associated with a significantly smaller change in mean of the maximum CIMT of the 12 carotid sites (0.0038 mm/y, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], −0.0023 to 0.0100 vs 0.0142 mm/y, 95 percent CI, 0.0080–0.0204), with a difference of −0.0103 mm/y (95 percent CI, −0.0191 to −0.0016; p=0.020).

Meanwhile, results for the secondary endpoints were generally similar to the primary endpoint. Of note, there were clinically relevant improvements in lipid parameters with rosuvastatin.

The adverse event frequency in the rosuvastatin group was consistent with the known safety profile of the drug.