Early treatment with Lipitor (atorvastatin), a “statin” cholesterol-lowering drug, reduces the build-up of artery-clogging plaque in patients who’ve had a recent heart attack, new research suggests. “This is the first evidence that plaque can regress with early statin treatment in heart attack patients,” lead author Dr. Shinya Okazaki, from Juntendo University School of Medicine in Tokyo, said in a statement. “This evidence provides further support for the use of statins after a heart attack.” The study involved 70 patients who experienced a heart attack or related problem and were treated with atorvastatin or instructed to eat a cholesterol-lowering diet. The findings are reported in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.
