Should We Trust JUPITER?

One high-profile study of a cholesterol-lowering drug has been especially influential. The study was called JUPITER, which stands for Justification for the Use of Statins in Primary Prevention. The study included more than 17,000 healthy people with normal or low levels of bad LDL cholesterol, but high levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation. They were given either Crestor or a look-alike placebo, but the trial was stopped early after less than two years. The scientists running the trial reported remarkable results: the risk of cardiovascular complications was nearly half in the people taking Crestor.
Now, an independent international team of researchers has examined the data from the JUPITER trial and concluded that the study was seriously flawed. Their statistical analysis suggests bias in the study’s data. Worse, the analysts point out that more than half of the original JUPITER investigators had financial ties to the maker of Crestor and thus had an apparent conflict of interest. The international experts conclude that the results of the JUPITER trial are clinically inconsistent and should not be used to guide medical practice. They call for a critical reappraisal of cholesterol-lowering and statin treatments for the prevention of heart disease complications, with greater emphasis placed on a healthy lifestyle.
[Archives of Internal Medicine, June 28, 2010]