Safety and Efficacy of Statins in Asians

Asian patients frequently have heightened responses to therapeutic drugs. As a consequence, the recommended drug doses are often lower in Asian countries than in Western countries. This practice extends to the use of cardiovascular drugs, including statins for the treatment of dyslipidemia. Pharmaco...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe American journal of cardiology Vol. 99; no. 3; pp. 410 - 414
Main Author Liao, James K., MD
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.02.2007
Elsevier
Elsevier Limited
Subjects
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Asian people
Biological and medical sciences
Cardiology
Cardiology. Vascular system
Cardiovascular
Drug therapy
Dyslipidemias - drug therapy
Dyslipidemias - ethnology
Effectiveness
Global Health
Humans
Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors - therapeutic use
Medical sciences
Patient safety
Statins
Treatment Outcome
Efficiency
Toxicity
Complication
Statin derivative
Circulatory system
Safety
Cardiology
Phlebology
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Summary:Asian patients frequently have heightened responses to therapeutic drugs. As a consequence, the recommended drug doses are often lower in Asian countries than in Western countries. This practice extends to the use of cardiovascular drugs, including statins for the treatment of dyslipidemia. Pharmacokinetic investigations have noted higher plasma levels of statins in Asians compared with Caucasians, although postmarketing data for all statins have not identified any particular safety issues, even when statins are given at equivalent doses. The potential mechanisms of heightened response to statins in Asians are related to genetically based differences in the metabolism of statins at the level of hepatic enzymes and drug transporters. Studies indicate that lower statin doses achieve lipid improvements in Asian patients comparable with those observed with higher doses in Caucasians. In conclusion, prescribing lower starting doses of statins in Asians appears warranted while research on this subject continues.
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Disclosures: Dr. Liao has received research support from Pfizer, New York, New York; AstraZeneca, Wilmington, Delaware; Kowa Pharmaceuticals, Nagoya, Japan; and Boehringer Ingelheim, Ingelheim, Germany. He has been a speaker for Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Merck, and Boehringer Ingelheim; and he has acted as a consultant for Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Merck/Schering-Plough, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey; Boehringer Ingelheim, and Asahi-Kasei, Tokyo, Japan.
ISSN:0002-9149
1879-1913
DOI:10.1016/j.amjcard.2006.08.051