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Meta-Analysis: Rosuvastatin May Be Superior for Plaque Regression

Rosuvastatin more effective than atorvastatin for reversion of coronary atherosclerotic plaques

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Rosuvastatin appears to be more effective than atorvastatin for regression of coronary atherosclerotic plaques, according to a meta-analysis published in the Nov. 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.

Cheng Qian, M.D., from Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University in China, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis to provide evidence for proper statin selection for the reversion of coronary atherosclerotic plaques. Five randomized trials that met predefined inclusion criteria were analyzed, with a total of 1,556 participants, of whom 772 were in the rosuvastatin group and 784 in the atorvastatin group.

In all included trials, the dose ratios of rosuvastatin versus atorvastatin were 1:2. The researchers found that rosuvastatin administration further reduced the total atheroma volume (P = 0.004) and percent atheroma volume (P = 0.03), compared with atorvastatin, and correlated with more improvement in lumen volume (P = 0.046). There was no difference in the comparative regression of plaques across subgroups.

“In conclusion, rosuvastatin is superior to atorvastatin in the reversion of coronary atherosclerotic plaques,” the authors write.

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