[Characteristics of a statine of the most recent generation]

LDL cholesterol levels are directly related to increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Several classes of drugs are available for the reduction of high cholesterol levels, but the highest efficacy has been demonstrated by HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins). Cerivastatin is a third generation, synthetic statin, characterized by the highest pharmacological and therapeutic potency among currently marketed statins, and whose lipid-lowering efficacy has been demonstrated in a number of large, multicenter trials. Along with improvements in triglycerides and HDL cholesterol, cerivastatin at the dosage of 0.4 mg/day achieved a mean 36% reduction in LDL cholesterol. Analysis of clinical trials indicates that the molecule has age and gender-related effects, with a greater cholesterol reduction in women than in men and in elderly than younger patients. Cerivastatin has a dual hepatic metabolism pathway, via the CYP3A4 and CYP2C8 isoenzymes of cytochrome P450; therefore no potentially significant drug interactions with other CYP3A4 inhibitors, for instance erythromycin and itraconazole, have been reported. Cerivastatin tolerability profile at dosages investigated is similar to that of placebo.