THURSDAY, Dec. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who are newly treated with statin-fibrate concurrent therapy are slightly more likely to be hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis than those who take just one of the medications, according to research published in the Dec. 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
Cheryl Enger, Ph.D., of i3 Drug Safety in Waltham, Mass., and colleagues reviewed insurance claims data from 2004 to 2007 for 584,784 patients who were new users of statins, fibrates, or both. The investigators compared rates of hospitalization among the users for rhabdomyolysis, renal impairment, hepatic injury, and pancreatitis.
The researchers found that the risk for rhabdomyolysis was low, although higher in patients newly treated with statin-fibrate therapy than those treated with only one of the medications. Patients taking a statin-fenofibrate combination compared to statins alone had an adjusted incidence rate (IR) of rhabdomyolysis of 3.75 per 100,000 patient-years, and the IR of rhabdomyolysis in statins was 3.30. The adjusted IR ratios of renal impairment and pancreatitis for statin-fenofibrate combinations compared to statins alone were 1.47 and 2.87, respectively. The IR of hepatic injury with statins was 8.57 per 100,000 patient-years and there was no risk difference between exposure groups. Fenofibrate therapy -- alone or in combination with statin therapy -- was found to increase the rate of pancreatitis.
"Physicians should assess the benefit and risk of lipid-lowering medications with combination therapy and closely monitor for muscle toxicity," the authors write.
The research was supported by i3 Drug Safety and Abbott Laboratories; several authors disclosed employment with these companies and AstraZeneca.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
