The Study
Efficacy of lipid lowering therapy beyond statins to prevent cardiovascular events
This study combines results from several big, well-run experiments where patients were randomly given extra cholesterol medicine or not. It shows that these extra medicines probably help prevent heart attacks and strokes, but they don’t seem to help people live longer overall.
Analysis score
Maximum 100 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
Some people take extra cholesterol drugs with their statins to help prevent heart problems. This study looked at lots of past research to see if those extra drugs help.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 548 / 100
Quality score
The highest quality evidence. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses that pool randomized controlled trials, giving the most reliable summary of experimental evidence.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1The results mean fewer heart attacks and strokes, but not a longer life, so the treatment helps prevent serious events but doesn’t save lives overall.
- 2Adding evolocumab cuts heart problems by 20%.
- 3Extra cholesterol drugs reduce heart attacks by 19% and strokes by 23%, but don’t help people live longer.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
European Heart Journal
Year
2024
Authors
I. Dykun, M. Khoury, T. Rassaf, A. Mahabadi
Related Content
Claims (4)
Adding a drug called evolocumab to cholesterol-lowering statins can lower the chances of serious heart problems by 20% in people who already have heart disease.
For people with heart artery disease already taking cholesterol pills, adding one of two other types of cholesterol drugs helps lower their chances of heart attacks and strokes — especially strokes — and gives extra protection for their heart health.
Even if you add extra cholesterol drugs like ezetimibe, bempedoic acid, or PCSK-9 inhibitors to statins, people with heart disease don’t live longer — it helps prevent heart attacks, but doesn’t seem to help them survive overall.
For people with heart disease, adding certain cholesterol-lowering drugs to their usual statin medicine cuts the chance of having a stroke by 23%—and this protection might be even better than for heart attacks.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.