Improving the cardiovascular well-being of individuals with HIV through the application of pitavastatin
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Reviewed by Nhi Phuong Quynh Le, B.A
Translated by Dat Tien Nguyen, B.A, ScM. |
Posted on September 22nd, 2023
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Pitavastatin is used to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels in blood, and it can promote cardiovascular health by enhancing the synthesis of good cholesterol (HDL). Individuals living chronic HIV infection had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease; the actual nature of this association is not known. Thus, researchers conducted a study to examine the possibility of using pitavastatin to prevent cardiovascular disease in patients with HIV infection.
The phase 3 clinical study included 7769 participants who are HIV positive, with the median CD4 cell level of 621 cells per cubic millimeter. These patients were receiving antiretroviral therapy which reduced the HIV RNA level to below the threshold of detection in 87.5% of them. The participants were randomly assigned to receive 4 mg of pitavastatin calcium daily or placebo. After a median surveillance period of 5.1 years, the researchers concluded that pitavastatin helped reduce the risk of cardiovascular events - such as myocardial infarction, stroke, angina, etc. - by 35%. The statin was relatively safe and caused only mild-to-moderate adverse effects in the users. It is important to note that pitavastatin usage was associated with a higher frequency of myalgia and diabetes, which are expected side effects that had been previously reported in other studies
The phase 3 clinical study included 7769 participants who are HIV positive, with the median CD4 cell level of 621 cells per cubic millimeter. These patients were receiving antiretroviral therapy which reduced the HIV RNA level to below the threshold of detection in 87.5% of them. The participants were randomly assigned to receive 4 mg of pitavastatin calcium daily or placebo. After a median surveillance period of 5.1 years, the researchers concluded that pitavastatin helped reduce the risk of cardiovascular events - such as myocardial infarction, stroke, angina, etc. - by 35%. The statin was relatively safe and caused only mild-to-moderate adverse effects in the users. It is important to note that pitavastatin usage was associated with a higher frequency of myalgia and diabetes, which are expected side effects that had been previously reported in other studies