Statins in end-stage renal failure: failure revisted

After disappointing findings in the 4D Study, a subsequent trial reported in a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine once again demonstrated disappointing results with statin therapy in patients with end-stage renal failure. In the AURORA study, 2776 patients aged 50-80 were randomized to 10 mg of Crestor or placebo. Despite an average of 43% reduction in LDL, there was no change in the primary end-point of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke after 3.8 years of follow-up.

This study is an unfortunate reminder of the difficulty creating measurable impact on hard clinical end-points in patients with end-stage renal failure.

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