Ann Intern Med

Statins: Is there a real difference between rosuvastatin and atorvastatin?

October 30, 2024

Researchers saw differences in risks for certain outcomes between the two statins, but the differences were small and many didn’t reach statistical significance, according to this trial emulation study based on database records.

• Researchers identified records for 285,680 individuals newly prescribed rosuvastatin or atorvastatin in two databases (U.K. Biobank, China Renal Data System) and defined an active comparator cohort.
• The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Cox proportional hazards regressions were assessed after 1:1 multilevel propensity-score matching. Secondary outcomes included major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and major adverse liver outcomes.
• The 6-year all-cause mortality was lower with rosuvastatin vs. atorvastatin (2.57 vs. 2.83 per 100 person-years in the Chinese database; 0.66 vs. 0.90 per 100 person-years in the U.K. database). Differences in cumulative incidence were −1.03% (95% CI, −1.44% to −0.46%) in the Chinese database, and −1.38% (CI, −2.50% to −0.21%) in the U.K. database.
• Analysis of secondary outcomes showed that rosuvastatin was linked to lower risk for MACE and major adverse liver outcomes, in both databases. In the UK database, T2DM risk was higher with rosuvastatin; risk for chronic kidney disease and other statin-related adverse effects appeared similar between the two drugs.

Source:

Zhou S, et al. (2024, October 29). Ann Intern Med. Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Atorvastatin Versus Rosuvastatin: A Multi-database Cohort Study. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39467290/