Probucol in long-term treatment of hypercholesterolemia

Over 15 yr of clinical experience with probucol seems to indicate that the drug is a safe and moderately effective hypocholesterolemic drug even in long-term treatment. Adverse effects are infrequent and usually tolerable. Probucol prolongs QT-interval but this does not seem to be connected with harmful effects in man. Its hypocholesterolemic action is not sufficient in all patients but this can be substantially improved by combining other hypolipidemic drugs with different mode of action. Interference with lipoprotein structure may contribute to the hypocholesterolemic action of probucol, and despite the lowering of HDL cholesterol probucol has been shown to regress peripheral cholesterol deposits. There is also tentative evidence that the drug may protect from CHD in primary prevention. The newly-discovered antioxidant property of probucol preventing harmful LDL modification in vitro might partly explain the favorable effects of probucol independently of its effects on LDL- or HDL-cholesterol levels.