Niacin and Statin for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease
Although the HALTS trial and the Oxford Niaspan Study suggested niacin conferred more regression of carotid disease (cIMT or wall area) compared with ezetimibe or placebo, preliminary data from NIA Plaque study showed that in an older, generally well-treated group, the addition of niacin failed to offer incremental benefit over statin therapy. Differences between the study results may be due 1) the site imaged 2) differences in the primary outcome 3) differences in baseline HDL-C values or 4) differences in LDL-C achieved on therapy.
Reconciling Differences Between the Surrogate Studies
Although the HALTS trial and the Oxford Niaspan Study suggested niacin conferred more regression of carotid disease (cIMT or wall area) compared with ezetimibe or placebo, preliminary data from NIA Plaque study showed that in an older, generally well-treated group, the addition of niacin failed to offer incremental benefit over statin therapy. Differences between the study results may be due 1) the site imaged 2) differences in the primary outcome 3) differences in baseline HDL-C values or 4) differences in LDL-C achieved on therapy.