EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF PRAVASTATIN ONCE-DAILY IN PRIMARY MODERATE HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA - THE ISRAELI EXPERIENCE

Seventy-seven hypercholesterolemic patients participated in a 26-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that investigated the efficacy and safety of pravastatin therapy. All patie nts had primary moderate hypercholesterolemia (total cholesterol 200-3 00 mg/dl, at the end of a 6-week dietary run-in period) and two additi onal coronary fisk factors. Pravastatin, 20-40 mg/day given at bedtime , reduced total cholesterol by 19-22%, LDL-cholesterol by 24-30%, trig lycerides by 10-30% and increased HDL-cholesterol by 9-13%. The drug c aused mild elevation in alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotr ansferase. Almost all these elevations were within normal limits and n o patient was clinically symptomatic. No other significant differences were observed between the pravastatin and the placebo-treated groups with regard to other adverse effects and to patient compliance and wit hdrawal. It is concluded that pravastatin has a beneficial effect on t he lipid profile and that the drug is safe and well tolerated.