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Press Page
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 24, 2007
CONTACT:
Daniel Sosnoski
Director of Communications
National Lipid Association
904-998-0854
dsosnoski@lipid.org
NLA Safety Task Force Releases Findings on Non-Statin Lipid-Lowering Therapies
Jacksonville, FL-The National Lipid Association (NLA) has published the findings of its Safety Task Force on the use of non-statin lipid-lowering therapies. Released as a supplement to March 19, 2007 edition of the American Journal of Cardiology, the report confirms the efficacy and safety of the leading non-statin therapies and resolves several key issues that have been raised among patients and members of the medical community.
The supplement, titled, Report of the National Lipid Association's Safety Task Force: The Nonstatins, examines some of the most common lipid-lowering therapies, specifically fibrates, nicotinic acid (niacin), bile acid sequestrants, cholesterol absorption inhibitors, and omega-3 fatty acids. The Safety Task Force conducted a rigorous, scholarly, up-to-date, and unbiased assessment of the safety of these lipid-altering therapies and concluded that, under the supervision of a physician, they can be used safely to improve lipid profiles and reduce the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
The members of the task force are Dr. James M. McKenney (chair, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA), Dr. Harold E. Bays (Louisville Metabolic and Atherosclerosis Research Center, Louisville, KY), Dr. Michael H. Davidson (Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL), John R. Guyton (Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC), and Dr. Terry A. Jacobson (Emory University, Atlanta, GA).
Additionally, all questions pertaining to particular drug categories were sent to recognized experts, who were invited to review these reports and craft independent expert commentaries on the subject. According to Dr. James McKenney, president of the NLA, "All drugs have the potential to cause adverse effects. Fortunately, those used to alter lipid levels and reduce CV risk are generally very safe, as reported in many randomized clinical trials and surveillance programs of the millions of patients who have taken these drugs over the past two decades."
The report recommends that physicians who prescribe these therapies be educated in their use and side-affects, knowledgeable in techniques for avoiding adverse outcomes, and able to closely monitor patient responses. The supplement is intended to be a tool for enacting these approaches to safe treatment and patient well being.
| Slides - Conclusions of the Safety Task Force on Nonstatins |
Additional information provided in the supplement addresses dosage parameters, potential interactions with other drugs, and advice on modifying or discontinuing therapy. Ultimately, however, the underlying message is that these lipid-lowering therapies are very safe and pose little risk in their use. On the contrary, says Dr. McKenney, "It is the disease, atherosclerosis, and its consequences that should be our primary concern, and not the adverse effects associated with lipid-altering therapies."
This report marks the completion of a two-year effort by the NLA to examine the therapeutics used in the management of patients with dyslipidemia. The first phase of this effort, addressing the safety of statins, was published by the Task Force in a supplement to the American Journal of Cardiology on April 17, 2006. When both volumes are taken in the context of a two-part report, they represent the most comprehensive, rigorous, non-governmental analysis of lipid-lowering therapies ever undertaken, and in this research the NLA confirms the safety profile and benefits of these therapeutic approaches to lipid management.
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL LIPID ASSOCIATION
The National Lipid Association (NLA) is a multidisciplinary non-profit membership association that serves the community of healthcare professionals who manage patients with lipid disorders and cardiovascular disease. The NLA's public health mission is to help reduce deaths related to high cholesterol. For more information, please see the NLA Web site at: www.lipid.org.
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