TNT Trial

The link between elevated LDL-C levels and increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) events is well established. The primary hypothesis of Treating to New Targets (TNT) was that reducing LDL-C levels to well below 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L) in stable CHD patients with modest LDL-C elevation could yield incremental clinical benefit. This hypothesis was tested by comparing the occurrence of major cardiovascular endpoints in two groups of patients: one that received 10-mg atorvastatin daily with the intent to reach an average LDL cholesterol target of approximately 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L), and one that received 80-mg atorvastatin daily with the intent to reach an average LDL cholesterol of approximately 75 mg/dL (1.9 mmol/L). The results of the TNT study indicate that the linear relationship between reduced LDL-C and reduced CHD risk demonstrated in prior statin secondary prevention trials holds true even at very low LDL-C levels.