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Pharmacology of Statins

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Therapeutic Lipidology

Part of the book series: Contemporary Cardiology ((CONCARD))

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Abstract

The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme-A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, also known as statins, were introduced in the 1980s and were a revolutionary advance over previously existing therapeutic modalities for hypercholesterolemia. Statins have been extensively studied in multiple prospective clinical trials and have demonstrable clinical effects on the incidence of cardiovascular and stroke outcomes in targeted populations. There are seven different statins that are available for clinical use, and their pharmacologic profiles vary significantly. These differences are primarily related to pharmacokinetic characteristics, ability to lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) with some being able to achieve high-intensity LDL-C reductions of 50% or more, and the propensity for drug-drug interactions. This chapter will discuss the development of this class of medications, pharmacologic characteristics, targeted populations where statins are evidence-based to provide the most clinical benefit, and drug-drug interactions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacy, VA Western New York Healthcare System, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Kenneth Kellick

  2. Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Family Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA

    Joseph J. Saseen

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  1. Kenneth Kellick
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  2. Joseph J. Saseen
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Correspondence to Kenneth Kellick .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Michael H. Davidson

  2. Cicarrone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins Univerity School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Peter P. Toth

  3. Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University School of Public Health, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Kevin C. Maki

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Kellick, K., Saseen, J.J. (2021). Pharmacology of Statins. In: Davidson, M.H., Toth, P.P., Maki, K.C. (eds) Therapeutic Lipidology. Contemporary Cardiology. Humana, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56514-5_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56514-5_11

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-56513-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-56514-5

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