[Clinical study of the month. The LIPS study: fluvastatin for prevention of cardiac events following percutaneous coronary angioplasty].

The prospective placebo-controlled LIPS study ("Lescol Intervention Prevention Study") demonstrated a significant cardiovascular protection by fluvastatin in patients with coronary artery disease (stable or unstable angina, silent ischemia), without major hypercholesterolaemia (135-270 mg/dl) following successful completion of their first percutaneous coronary intervention. When compared to the placebo group (n = 833), the fluvastatin group (n = 844) showed a relative risk reduction by 22% (relative risk: 0.78; 95% confidence interval: 0.64-0.95; p = 0.01) of major adverse cardiac events after a median time of follow-up of 3.9 years. This effect is observed independently of baseline total cholesterol, of the presence of diabetes mellitus or the existence of multivessel disease. These results suggest that fluvastatin may favorably influence the restenosis process after percutaneous coronary intervention, even in the absence of severe hypercholesterolaemia.