New Help For African Americans With High Cholesterol (NAPSA)—While statin medications have helped millions of patients lower their cholesterol levels, until now, little has been known about how African Americans respond to statin therapy. This is because African Americans are typically underrepresented in clinical trials. One study, called ARIES (Afriean American Rosuvastatin Investigation of Efficacy and Safety), presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions, is the first-ever largescale, prospective trial exclusively designed to compare the effects of statins in African-American patients. ARIES evaluated the efficacy of AstraZeneca’s cholesterol lowering statin Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) and atorvastatin in African Americans with elevated cholesterol and found that Crestor at 10 and 20mg reduced LDL-C or “bad” cholesterol by 37 and 46 percent, compared to 32 and 39 percent at similar doses with atorvastatin in AfricanAmerican patients (p<0.017). Crestor also brought more patients in this study to National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) LDL-C goals compared to atorvastatin at milligram equiva- African Americans and High Cholesterol Approximately 42 percent of the AfricanAmerican population has high cholesterol An estimated 45 percentofthe AfricanAmerican population has elevated LDL-C, or “bad” cholesterol levels An estimated 26 percentofthe AfricanAmerican population has never had their cholesterollevels checked @ lent doses of 10 and 20 mg (66 and 79 percent versus 58 and 62 percent respectively). The study, led by Dr. Keith C. Ferdinand,clinical cardiologist and medical director of Heartbeats Life Center, was conducted among 774 African-American adults with high cholesterol andis the first and only study of its kind. “As an African American physician whotreats a large numberof African-American patients, the ARIEStrial represents an opportunity to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of statins in this high-risk, undertreated and underserved population,” says Dr. Ferdinand. “ARIES is the first trial to demonstrate superiority in lowering bad cholesterol in this population using rosu- vastatin (Crestor) compared to atorvastatin, comparing equal doses of each.” About Crestor Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) is a prescription medication used along with diet for use in lowering high cholesterol. In clinical studies, it was generally well-tolerated. The most commonside effects are muscle pain, constipation, weakness, stomach pain and nausea. These are usually mild and tend to go away. Your doctor will do blood tests before and during treatment with Crestor to monitor your liver function. Tell your doctor if you are taking any medications, including cyclosporine, warfarin, gemfibrozil or antacids. Crestor is not right for everyone, including women who are nursing, pregnant, or who may become pregnant, or anyone with liver problems. Unexplained muscle pain and weakness could be a sign ofa rare but seriousside effect and should be reported to your doctor right away. Crestor has not been determined to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes. For full prescribing or product information on the ARIES trial and about cholesterol, visit Crestor.com or call the AstraZeneca Information Center at 1-800-236-9933.
