Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Pravastatin and Fenofibrate on Primary Hypercholesterolemia in A Taiwanese Community

To assess both the efficacy and safety of pravastatin and fenofibrate in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia, we evaluated changes of the lipid profiles and side effects among patients with hypercholesterolemia in a community. The patients were randomized either to receive pravastatin 5 mg twice a day or fenofibrate 100 mg 3 times daily. Among the 69 patients recruited to the study, 55 patients (28 on pravastatin and 27 on fenofibrate) completed in this study. At the end of 3-month treatment, both groups showed significantly similar and comparable reduction in cholesterol (18.3% on pravastatin and 18.1% on fenofibrate) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels (28.2% and 29.8%, respectively). A concomitant noticeable increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level in both groups was also noted. In addition, there were apparent reductions in the serum level of triglyceride (TG) to a greater extent in those patients on fenofibrate than on pravastatin (30.2% vs. 21.5%, P=0.034). However, a few minor drug-related side effects were noted in both groups. In conclusion, we believe that dosing 10 mg of pravastatin and 300 mg of fenofibrate daily would provide adequate lipid-lowering effect and excellent safety for patients with primary hypercholesterolemia in Taiwan.