HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors for Hypercholesterolemia

To the Editor: In his review (July 7 issue)* of inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, Dr. Grundy concluded that these drugs are effective and usually well-tolerated cholesterol-lowering agents. He also pointed out, appropriately, that these compounds have not been given to large populations for long periods and, therefore, their adverse effects may not be fully defined. We would like to provide the interim results, as of May 1988, of a long-term study of lovastatin that began in 1984. In the study, long-term therapy with a lipid-lowering diet plus lovastatin is being evaluated in 744 patients in 23 centers.