Effects of rosuvastatin on lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins in the dyslipidaemia of diabetes

Aims To compare the effects of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin 10 and 20 mg on plasma lipid and lipoprotein profiles in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and triglycerides <= 6.0 mmol/l. Methods A double-blind, randomized, multicentre study to assess the effect of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin, at 10 mg/day for 8 weeks followed by 20 mg/day for a further 8 weeks, on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), together with a range of secondary lipid and lipoprotein end points. Results Rosuvastatin reduced mean LDL-C levels from baseline over 16 weeks by 57.4%, while atorvastatin reduced mean LDL-C levels by 46.0% over the same period. The difference in LDL-C reduction between treatments was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Rosuvastatin also produced statistically significantly greater mean reductions from baseline in levels of total cholesterol, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein B and lipid ratios. More patients achieved European LDL-C (< 2.5 mmol/l) and total cholesterol (< 4.5 mmol/l) goals with rosuvastatin than with atorvastatin. Rosuvastatin was associated with a significantly (P < 0.049) greater mean percentage increase in glycated haemoglobin (HbA(1c)) from baseline compared with atorvastatin; however, patients in both treatment groups maintained good glycaemic control. Both rosuvastatin and atorvastatin were well tolerated. Conclusions Greater reductions in LDL-C were achieved with rosuvastatin compared with equal doses of atorvastatin, enabling more patients with Type 2 diabetes to achieve European LDL-C goals.