[Meeting report. "MIRACL" study of "Myocardial Ischemia Reduction with Aggressive Cholesterol Lowering"]

The results of the "MIRACL" trial ("Myocardial Ischemia Reduction with Aggressive Cholesterol Lowering") were presented at the recent annual meeting of the American Heart Association in New Orleans last November 2000. This study demonstrates that atorvastatin, at a daily dose of 80 mg starting within the first 24 to 96 hours after an acute coronary event (unstable angina or non-Q-wave acute myocardial infarction) and maintained for 4 months, improves the cardiovascular prognosis by decreasing the combined risk of death (any cause), nonfatal myocardial infarction, resuscitated cardiac arrest and worsening angina with new objective evidence of ischemia requiring urgent hospitalization (-16% versus placebo, p < 0.05).