Aim: To elucidate efficacy, safety and tolerance of lipobay (cerivastatin), a new HMG-CoA-reductase inhibitor (0.2 mg/day) in patients with primary hyperlipidemia (PHL).
Materials and methods: The trial enrolled 15 men aged 21-64 years with PHL of type 2a and 2b. After 1 and 3 months of treatment all the patients underwent a general clinical examination with measurements of blood lipids (total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol--HDL-C), apolipoproteins (apo A-1 and apo B).
Results: After 3 months of treatment total cholesterol, LDL-C and apolipoprotein B decreased by 24.94 +/- 2.87%, 28.94 +/- 3.08%, 19.32 +/- 2.43% (p = 0.0001), respectively, while LDL-C levels were < 3.4 mmol/l in 4 patients. Triglycerides dropped by 17.84 +/- 6.41%, while HDL-C rose by 5.01 +/- 4.47%, but the changes were not significant. Lipobay in doses 0.2 mg/day was well tolerated. One patient stopped taking the drug because of severe abdominal pain.
Conclusion: Lipobay is a novel, effective and well-tolerated drug for treatment of patients with primary hyperlipidemia of type 2a and 2b.