EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF MICROPOROUS CHOLESTYRAMINE TABLETS IN FAMILIALMULTIGENIC HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA - A CONTROLLED COMPARISON WITH TRADITIONAL CHOLESTYRAMINE

This trial compared the efficacy and safety of microporous cholestyram ine and traditional cholestyramine in the treatment of heterozygous mu ltigenic familial hypercholesterolemia. A total of 172 patients entere d the trial: 87 were given 9 g/d of microporous cholestyramine, and 85 received 12 g/d of traditional cholestyramine for 2 months. Microporo us cholestyramine reduced total cholesterol levels by 17.3% from basel ine, compared with 14.2% with the traditional formulation. Reductions also were noted in levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (23.1 % vs 20.1%), the ratio of total to high-density lipoprotein cholestero l (20% vs 16.9%), and apolipoprotein B (15.5% vs 12.7%). Very-low-dens ity lipoprotein cholesterol decreased by 10.7% and triglycerides by 7% with the microporous formulation, compared with increases of 3% and 0 .6%, respectively, with the traditional formulation. Adverse reactions , all gastrointestinal, were reported by 6.9% of the patients given mi croporous cholestyramine, compared with 11.8% of the patients who took traditional cholestyramine. In the treatment of familial hypercholest erolemia, microporous cholestyramine at a daily dosage of 9 g appeared slightly more active and was tolerated somewhat better than the tradi tional formulation administered at a daily dosage of 12 g.