Effects of simvastatin and fenofibrate on serum lipoproteins and apolipoproteins in primary hypercholesterolaemia.

Sixteen patients with primary hypercholesterolaemia received double-blind either fenofibrate (n = 8; 200 mg bid) or the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor simvastatin (n = 8; 20 mg q.p.m. [corrected] or 40 mg q.p.m. [corrected] if LDL-cholesterol did not fall below 3.6 mmol.l-1 after 4 weeks of treatment). Simvastatin reduced total cholesterol from 9.7 to 7.0 mmol.l-1 after 10 weeks (-28%), and fenofibrate reduced it from 9.2 to 7.7 mmol.l-1 (-15%). The decrease was less during fenofibrate than during simvastatin treatment (time x drug: p = 0.02). Serum LDL-cholesterol fell from 8.3 to 5.3 mmol.l-1 (-36%) during simvastatin and from 7.2 to 6.0 mmol.l-1 (-16%) during fenofibrate administration. Again, the effect of simvastatin was more pronounced than that of fenofibrate (time x drug: p = 0.03). HDL-cholesterol increased significantly from 1.1 to 1.2 mmol.l-1 (+13%) during fenofibrate administration and it did not change significantly during simvastatin. Serum triglycerides fell from 1.3 to 1.1 mmol.l-1 (-16%) during simvastatin, and even more significantly from 2.2 to 1.1 mmol.l-1 (-51%) during fenofibrate (time x drug: p = 0.002). Apolipoprotein B fell on simvastatin from 1.9 to 1.4 g.l-1 (-24%) and from 1.8 to 1.4 g.l-1 (-22%) during fenofibrate. Both drugs were well tolerated and had no significant adverse effects. Simvastatin lowered total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations more than fenofibrate, while the latter had more effect on triglycerides, suggesting specific indications for the two drugs in the treatment of hyperlipoproteinaemias.