Pfizer’s Lipitor 80mg found to be effective against stroke and heart attack

This finding is from a subanalysis designed and completed following the closure of the five-year treating to new targets (TNT) study in patients with existing coronary heart disease.

The TNT study was an investigator-led trial coordinated by an independent steering committee and funded by Pfizer. The study enrolled 10,001 men and women with coronary heart disease aged 35 years to 75 years in 14 countries and followed them for an average of five years.

The primary endpoint of the TNT study was the occurrence of a first major cardiovascular event, defined as death from heart disease, non-fatal heart attacks, resuscitated cardiac arrest, or fatal or non-fatal strokes.

This post-hoc subanalysis studied the effect of Lipitor 80mg on the incidence of major cardiovascular events compared with Lipitor 10mg in patients with heart disease and type 2 diabetes, with chronic kidney disease and without chronic kidney disease.

In patients with heart disease and type 2 diabetes but without chronic kidney disease, Lipitor 80mg reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events by 10% compared to Lipitor 10mg, which did not reach significance. Both doses of Lipitor (80mg and 10mg) were generally well tolerated.

James Shepherd, clinical academic consultant, department of pathological biochemistry, University of Glasgow Medical School and a member of the TNT steering committee, said: “The study’s findings support existing guidelines that recommend aggressively lowering LDL cholesterol using statin therapy, such as Lipitor 80mg, to reduce the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke in these high-risk patients.”