Evidence for a Synergistic Effect of Calcium Channel Blockers With Lipid-Lowering Therapy in Retarding Progression of Coronary Atherosclerosis in Symptomatic Patients With Normal to Moderately Raised Cholesterol Levels

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Abstract
To date, lipid-lowering therapy appears to be the most effective medical intervention to retard progression of coronary atherosclerosis. In spite of promising experimental results, clinical trials completed so far have failed to demonstrate that calcium channel blockers (CCBs) alone influence the evolution of established coronary atherosclerosis. To assess whether the two therapies may have an additive or synergistic beneficial effect on human atherosclerosis, we reviewed in this regard the data of the angiographic Regression Growth Evaluation Statin Study (REGRESS) trial. REGRESS was designed to determine the effect of lipid-lowering therapy with pravastatin in symptomatic patients with normal to moderately raised cholesterol levels. Angiographically, with respect to the minimum obstruction diameter, in the pravastatin group, patients had on average 0.05 mm (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01-0.09) less progression if cotreated with CCBs compared with no CCB cotreatment, whereas in the placebo (...