Association Of Black Cardiologists Makes Important Contribution To Pivotal Study On Statins In African American
ATLANTA, Ga., Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- New clinical trial results were announced today for the first-ever large-scale, prospective trial exclusively designed to compare the effects of statins in African-Americans, who are generally under represented in clinical trials. Data from the ARIES (African American Rosuvastatin Investigation of Efficacy and Safety) trial were presented at the American Heart Association's Annual Scientific Sessions in New Orleans.
The Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC) partnered with AstraZeneca on the ARIES trial and played a pivotal role with patient and investigator recruitment, site support and patient and physician education. In addition to recruiting ABC members to be trial investigators, ABC also reviewed the study protocol, provided input into investigational site and subject recruitment and provided ongoing consultation with trial sites. As part of the partnership, ABC also distributed educational materials to investigators including brochures and videotapes. Dr. Keith C. Ferdinand, an ABC member and past Chairman of the Board, as well as lead investigator for ARIES, was instrumental in the trial's design.
"As an African American physician who treats a large number of African American patients, the ARIES trial provides an opportunity to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of statins in this under treated population," said Dr. Ferdinand. "Based on ARIES, we can now say that rosuvastatin is an extremely effective treatment option for lowering bad cholesterol in this patient population."
High cholesterol affects approximately 45 percent of the African-American population, and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, claiming the lives of more than 100,000 African Americans each year. Yet, an estimated 26 percent of African Americans have never had their cholesterol levels checked. Moreover, research indicates that although African Americans are disproportionately affected by cardiovascular disease, they are generally underrepresented in clinical trials.
The results of ARIES determined that among African American patients, rosuvastatin calcium (Crestor) at 10 and 20 mg reduced LDL-C or "bad" cholesterol by 37 and 46 percent, compared to 32 and 39 percent at similar doses with the market leader, atorvastatin. Additionally, results demonstrated rosuvastatin was more successful at helping patients in this study increase their HDL or "good" cholesterol, reduce their total cholesterol levels and achieve National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) LDL-C goals compared to atorvastatin at similar doses.
"ABC is committed to eliminating the disparities related to cardiovascular disease," said B. Waine Kong, Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Black Cardiologists. "Through trials like ARIES, we can continue making inroads into understanding the special treatment needs of African Americans to help reduce their cardiovascular risk factors, including high cholesterol."
ABC members providing consultation to the study included: B. Waine Kong, PhD, JD, Chief Executive Officer; Keith C. Ferdinand, MD, ARIES National Principal Investigator; Melanie Dowdell, MBA, Director, Research; Zabrina Furlow, Tammie Bell, and Felecia Warren, Research Coordinators.
About ARIES
ARIES is a six-week, randomized, controlled, open-label, multi-center trial designed to evaluate the efficacy of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin in African Americans with elevated cholesterol. After a six- week dietary lead- in, 774 African-American adults with hypercholesterolemia were randomized to 1 of 4 open-label treatments for six weeks: rosuvastatin 10 or 20 mg or atorvastatin 10 or 20 mg.
ARIES results showed that rosuvastatin at 10 and 20mg reduced LDL-C by 37 and 46 percent, compared to 32 and 39 percent at similar doses with atorvastatin in African-American patients. Rosuvastatin also brought more patients in this study to National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) LDL-C goals compared to atorvastatin at similar doses. Finally, rosuvastatin was shown to be more effective at increasing HDL or "good" cholesterol and reducing total cholesterol levels, than atorvastatin at similar doses.
About Association of Black Cardiologists
Founded in 1974, the Association of Black Cardiologists Inc. is a non- profit organization with an international membership of nearly 600 healthcare professionals. The ABC is dedicated to eliminating the disparity related to cardiovascular disease in all people of color. Today, the ABC public and private partnership continues to increase our impact in communities across the nation. The ABC Inc. is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and has successfully recruited investigators and subjects for numerous clinical trials including hypertension, arrhythmia, lipids and heart failure.
For more information about Association of Black Cardiologists, please visit: http://www.abcardio.org/
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of over $18.8 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, oncology, cardiovascular, neuroscience and respiratory products. In the United States, AstraZeneca is an $8.7 billion healthcare business with more than 11,000 employees. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index.
For more information about AstraZeneca, please visit: http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/
Association Of Black CardiologistsCONTACT: B. Waine Kong of Association of Black Cardiologists,+1-678-302-4222, bwainekong@abcardio.org