COURAGE Trial: Optimal Medical Therapy Alone is Sufficient for Patients with Stable Angina: Adding PCI Does Not Help – ILLUSTRATE Study Shows Torcetrapib Raises HDL But Fails to Lower Coronary Risk

STEVEN NISSEN, Cleveland Clinic, OH

REFERENCE: N Engl J Med 2007356Reporting from: American College of Cardiolgy New OrleansTwo big studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented simultaneously at the American College of Cardiology meeting in New Orleans have shown that two emerging therapies aimed at reducing risks in patients with coronary disease have failed to do so. The president of the ACC,Steven Nissen, talked with Peter Goodwin about the COURAGE (Clinical Outcomes Utilizing Revascularization and Aggressive Drug Evaluation) trial, in which patients with stable coronary artery disease were randomized to receive optimal medical therapy with or without PCI. He also discussed findings of the ILLUSTRATE (Investigation of Lipid Level Management Using Coronary Ultrasound to Assess Reduction of Atherosclerosis by CETP Inhibition and HDL Elevation) study in which the cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitor, torcetrapib was found to have adverse effects when used for modifying lipid profiles among coronary patients.