Ezetimibe/simvastatin single tablet versus rosuvastatin in patients with hypercholesterolemia

Recent guidelines recommend strict goals for low density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL-C) ( 70 - 100 mg/dL; 1.8 - 2.6 mmol/L). These goals were set following the publication of several trials. In the current issue of the journal, a study compares different doses of the combination tablet ( ezetimibe/simvastatin) with statin monotherapy ( rosuvastatin). In keeping with previous literature, the combination therapy was more effective in achieving LDL-C goals. This editorial comments on the potential disadvantages of using monotherapy with high-dose statins and considers the issue of statin-induced proteinuria. Combination therapy may need to be increasingly used to achieve the LDL-C targets set by recent guidelines.