Cholesterol-lowering drugs help healthy heart patients

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Even heart patients with seemingly healthy cholesterol levels live longer and better if they take cholesterol-lowering drugs, a discovery that could vastly increase the number of people using these already ubiquitous medicines.

The findings emerge from the largest experiment ever to test the power of so-called statin drugs, which already are recommended for about 36 million Americans at risk of dying from heart disease.

Dr. Rory Collins of Oxford University, who directed the study, compared the results Tuesday with the landmark discovery in the 1980s of the benefits of aspirin in warding off heart trouble.

"Statins are the new aspirin," Collins said. "But it's not either-or. They add to the benefits of aspirin."

The study was conducted on 20,536 people who were considered at high risk of heart disease. Earlier research had not settled whether they specifically benefit from statin therapy.

One-third of the patients in the study had cholesterol levels that were already below the level recommended for statin treatment in the latest U.S. health guidelines. Yet they, like everyone else in the study, lowered their risk of new heart attacks and strokes by one-third if they took the drugs.

"This means that anybody who has any evidence of heart disease should be on a statin," commented Dr. Antonio Gotto, dean of Cornell University's medical school.

About 25 million people worldwide already take statins. Collins estimated that the latest findings mean about 200 million worldwide would benefit from the drugs, roughly double the number for whom they are currently recommended.

The 5 1/2-year study involved men and women ages 40 to 80. They were considered at high risk because of diabetes, previous heart attacks and other signs of clogged arteries, such as poor circulation in their legs.