Benefits of aggressive drug therapy

Significant advances have been made in both the development and implementation of drug therapy in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Defining "aggressive" drug therapy mandates consideration of the target population, timing of initiation, time of administration, and, often, dose titration to achieve a desired effect on relevant "biomarkers" such as low-density lipoprotein levels. This review focuses on 2 groups of drug therapies now proven effective in prevention, namely the statins and antiplatelet drugs (aspirin, clopidogrel). Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor(s), angiotensin receptor blockers, and beta blockers are also proven of great value but are only noted in the table.