Lipid-lowering treatment with statins is effective for primary and secondary prevention of coronary artery disease in patients with either hypercholesterolemia or average cholesterol levels. Several clinical trials in progress will investigate the use of statins in entirely elderly or diabetic cohorts, and larger trials will continue to include significant numbers of these patients, as well as greater numbers of women. Additional clinical endpoint trials are assessing the potential benefits of lowering lipid levels to below currently recommended goals and of aggressive early statin treatment to prevent ischemic events in patients with stable coronary disease or acute coronary syndromes. These trials are expected to yield important data on the relation of lipid reduction to the prevention of coronary artery disease and on the potential for extending the use of statins.
