Effects of policosanol on older hypercholesterolemic patients consumed calcium channel blockers

Resumen

Policosanol is a cholesterol-lowering drug with concomitant antiplatelet effects with efficacy, safety and tolerability documented in clinical and post-marketing studies. The objective of this study was investigate whether policosanol modifies the antihypertensive effects of calcium channel blockers and/or if such combination impairs some safety indicator or induces some specific adverse event in older patients. For this report was analysed the records of all patients (313) taking calcium channel blockers included in a Prevention Study in the Elderly in which 1470 older patients at high coronary risk were randomised to policosanol 5 mg/d or placebo for 3 years. Analysis was by Intention-to-treat. Baseline characteristics were well matched in both groups. Cholesterol-lowering efficacy of policosanol was evident and persistent. The policosanol did not affect the safety indicators investigated. The frequency of all serious adverse events in policosanol patients (4/155; 2.6 %) was lower than in respective placebo (24/158; 15.2 %) as well as the frequency of mild or moderate adverse events (36/155; 23.2 %) also was lower than in placebo (52/158; 32.9 %). It is concluded that policosanol was well tolerated, not increasing any adverse events compared with placebo. These results support that policosanol consumption by hypercholesterolemic elderly individuals also taking calcium channel blockers far from reveals any adverse drug-drug interaction, were beneficial for study subjects.