Rosuvastatin versus atorvastatin treatment in adults with coronary artery disease: secondary analysis of the randomised LODESTAR trial

Abstract

Objective: To compare the long term efficacy and safety of rosuvastatin with atorvastatin treatment in adults with coronary artery disease.

Design: Randomised, open label, multicentre trial.

Setting: 12 hospitals in South Korea, September 2016 to November 2019.

Participants: 4400 adults (age ≥19 years) with coronary artery disease.

Interventions: Participants were assigned to receive either rosuvastatin (n=2204) or atorvastatin (n=2196) using 2×2 factorial randomisation.

Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was a three year composite of all cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or any coronary revascularisation. Secondary outcomes were safety endpoints: new onset diabetes mellitus; hospital admissions due to heart failure; deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary thromboembolism; endovascular revascularisation for peripheral artery disease; aortic intervention or surgery; end stage kidney disease; discontinuation of study drugs owing to intolerance; cataract surgery; and a composite of laboratory detected abnormalities.

Results: 4341 of the 4400 participants (98.7%) completed the trial. Mean daily dose of study drugs was 17.1 mg (standard deviation (SD) 5.2 mg) in the rosuvastatin group and 36.0 (12.8) mg in the atorvastatin group at three years (P<0.001). The primary outcome occurred in 189 participants (8.7%) in the rosuvastatin group and 178 (8.2%) in the atorvastatin group (hazard ratio 1.06, 95% confidence interval 0.86 to 1.30; P=0.58). The mean low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level during treatment was 1.8 mmol/L (SD 0.5 mmol/L) in the rosuvastatin group and 1.9 (0.5) mmol/L in the atorvastatin group (P<0.001). The rosuvastatin group had a higher incidence of new onset diabetes mellitus requiring initiation of antidiabetics (7.2% v 5.3%; hazard ratio 1.39, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 1.87; P=0.03) and cataract surgery (2.5% v 1.5%; 1.66, 1.07 to 2.58; P=0.02). Other safety endpoints did not differ between the two groups.

Conclusions: In adults with coronary artery disease, rosuvastatin and atorvastatin showed comparable efficacy for the composite outcome of all cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or any coronary revascularisation at three years. Rosuvastatin was associated with lower LDL cholesterol levels but a higher risk of new onset diabetes mellitus requiring antidiabetics and cataract surgery compared with atorvastatin.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02579499.

Fig 1

Flow of participants through study. *Data on screening were not collected. †Randomisation was stratified by baseline low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels ≥2.6 mmol/L, acute coronary syndrome, and presence of diabetes mellitus

Fig 2

Kaplan-Meier survival (time-to-event) curves for primary outcome (all cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or any coronary revascularisation) in adults assigned to rosuvastatin or atorvastatin. CI=confidence interval

Fig 3

Serial mean values for LDL cholesterol over time in participants assigned to rosuvastatin or atorvastatin. The whiskers indicate 95% confidence intervals. The absolute difference (mmol/L) in LDL cholesterol levels between the two groups is presented under the graph. All differences were significant (P<0.001). LDL=low density lipoprotein