The safety and tolerability of atorvastatin 10 mg in the Collaborative Atorvastatin Diabetes Study (CARDS).

Author(s): Newman CB, Szarek M, Colhoun HM, Betteridge DJ, Durrington PN, Hitman GA, Neil HA, Demicco DA, Auster S, Fuller JH, Cards Investigators

Affiliation(s): Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, VA Hospital, 423 East 23rd Street, Dept of Medicine -11093 South, New York, NY 10010, USA.

Publication date & source: 2008-09, Diab Vasc Dis Res., 5(3):177-83.

Publication type: Multicenter Study; Randomized Controlled Trial; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and tolerability of atorvastatin 10 mg compared with placebo in 2,838 patients with type 2 diabetes and no history of coronary heart disease who were enrolled in the Collaborative Atorvastatin Diabetes Study (CARDS) and followed for 3.9 years. The percentages of patients experiencing treatment-associated adverse events (AEs), serious AEs and discontinuations due to AEs in the atorvastatin (n=1,428) and placebo (n=1,410) groups were 23.0% vs. 25.4%, 1.1% vs. 1.1% and 2.9% vs. 3.4%, respectively. The most common treatment-associated AEs in the atorvastatin and placebo groups were digestive system-related (8.9% vs. 10.0%). All-cause and treatment-associated myalgia were reported in 4.0% and 1.0% of atorvastatin-treated patients, and 4.8% and 1.2% of placebo-treated patients. An analysis of selected AEs by tertiles of baseline low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol showed no relationship between LDL cholesterol levels and the incidence of myalgia, cancer or nervous system AEs in either treatment group. Overall, these data demonstrate that atorvastatin 10 mg was well tolerated in patients with type 2 diabetes during long-term treatment.