EFFECT OF POLICOSANOL IN LOWERING CHOLESTEROL LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE-II HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA

A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted in 45 patients with type II hypercholesterolemia to investigate the efficacy and safety of policosanol administered at 10 mg daily (5 mg twice daily). After adhering to a cholesterol-lowering diet-only period, 45 outpatients in whom serum cholesterol and LDL-C values were not controlled sufficiently by diet alone were randomized to receive policosanol or placebo at the evening and the morning meal for 6 weeks, Policosanol significantly decreased total cholesterol by 16.2% and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) by 21.5%, Ratios of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and of LDL-C to HDL-C were also significantly reduced by 17.7% and 22.3%, respectively, HDL-C values increased by 14% in the policosanol-treated group, but this increase was not significant (P = 0.07), No significant changes in triglycerides were observed compared with baseline or placebo, No clinically significant differences in clinical and biochemical safety indicators were observed in policosanol-treated patients compared with those receiving placebo. No patient withdrew from the study because of adverse experiences, and there were no clinically significant drug-related adverse effects, These data indicate that policosanol (5 mg twice daily) is effective and well tolerated in patients with type II hypercholesterolemia.