Cor Vasa 2008, 50(7-8):306-308

ENHANCE trial. Effect of Combination Ezetimibe and High-Dose Simvastatin vs Simvastatin Alone on the Atherosclerosis Process in Patients with Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Hana Rosolová

Centrum preventivní kardiologie II. interní kliniky, Univerzita Karlova Praha - Lékařská fakulta a Fakultní nemocnice v Plzni, Plzeň, Česká republika

The paper presents the results of the ENHANCE trial, a double-blind, randomized, 24-month study assessing 720 patients with familiar hypercholesterolemia. The study was designed to compare the efficacy of lipid-lowering therapy with 80 mg simvastatin + 10 mg ezetimibe versus therapy with 80 mg simvastatin on carotid and femoral intima-media thickness (IMT), as assessed by repeat ultrasound. Combination therapy did not result in significant changes in IMT over monotherapy, although simvastatin plus ezetimibe significantly reduced the levels of LDL-cholesterol and C-reactive protein compared with the group of patients treated with simvastatin alone. It remains to be seen whether future trials will show this combination lipid-lowering therapy leads to a reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Keywords: Ezetimibe; Simvastatin; Atherosclerosis; Intima-media thickness

Published: July 1, 2008  Show citation