Effectiveness of Ezetimibe Alone or in Combination With Twice a Week Atorvastatin (10 mg) for Statin Intolerant High-Risk Patients

This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of ezetimibe (10 mg/day) alone or in combination with atorvastatin (10 mg twice a week) on hypercholesterolemia in 56 high-risk patients intolerant to daily statin use. Ezetimibe monotherapy was well tolerated (2 withdrawals) and induced a mean reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol of 20% (p <0.05) at the third month. However, of the 54 patients still taking ezetimibe, only 5 (9%) were at their LDL cholesterol targets. Atorvastatin 10 mg twice a week was then added to ezetimibe and was well tolerated (3 withdrawals). This combination reduced LDL cholesterol (in a treatment-based analysis) by 37% compared with baseline (p <0.001), with 43 (84%) patients reaching their LDL cholesterol goals. When patients (n = 34, 25 men) with baseline serum creatinine values in the upper 2 tertiles were analyzed separately, there was a significant (p = 0.041) decrease in serum creatinine levels after 6 months of treatment. In conclusion, the combination of ezetimibe plus atorvastatin 10 mg twice a week might be a therapeutic option for high-risk patients intolerant to daily statin monotherapy.