Expanded Clinical Evaluation of Lovastatin (EXCEL) study results: two-year efficacy and safety follow-up

Abstract

The Expanded Clinical Evaluation of Lovastatin study, a randomized, double-blind, placebo- and diet-controlled multicenter trial, evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of lovastatin over 48 weeks in 8,245 patients with moderately severe hypercholesterolemia. During year 1 of follow-up of the full cohort, lovastatin at 20 or 40 mg/day, or 20 or 40 mg twice daily, produced dose-dependent decreases in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (24% to 40%) and triglyceride levels (10% to 19%), and increases in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (6.6% to 9.5%). In all, 977 patients continued their original blinded treatment for an additional year. In year 2, the LDL cholesterol response to lovastatin was maintained, the triglyceride reductions were somewhat less, and the increases in HDL cholesterol were moderately greater than in year 1. Successive transaminase elevations > 3 times the upper limit of normal were observed in only 1 patient in year 2, yielding a cumulative 2-year incidence of from 0.1% (placebo or lovastatin 20 mg/day) to 1.9% (lovastatin 80 mg/day). Myopathy occurred in only 1 patient during year 2, and over the 2-year study was observed rarely and only at lovastatin dosages of 40 and 80 mg/day. This study indicates that lovastatin maintains its efficacy over long-term follow-up, particularly in effectively lowering LDL cholesterol, is generally well tolerated, and has a favorable safety profile.