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Published in:

01-10-2011

The JUPITER Trial: Myth or Reality?

Authors: Ryan P. Morrissey, George A. Diamond, Sanjay Kaul

Published in: Current Atherosclerosis Reports | Issue 5/2011

Abstract

The JUPITER trial is widely hailed as a landmark trial that has the potential to dramatically change the landscape of primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Like most trials, however, it is not without its limitations. We address some of the common myths and misunderstandings that are underscored by the JUPITER trial. First, by its intentional and ill-advised exclusion of patients with low levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), it is not possible to assess whether baseline hsCRP modifies treatment response to statins or whether it identifies patients most likely to benefit from statin therapy. Second, by stopping the trial early, one cannot rule out the possibility that the treatment benefit was overestimated and risk was underestimated, thereby precluding a reliable estimate of benefit/risk. Finally, as a consequence of early stopping, it is not possible to reliably assess the cost-effectiveness of primary prevention with rosuvastatin. Given these limitations, the attendant societal health policy implications remain largely unknown.

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Title: The JUPITER Trial: Myth or Reality?
Authors: Ryan P. Morrissey
George A. Diamond
Sanjay Kaul
Publication date: 01-10-2011
Publisher: Current Science Inc.
Published in: Current Atherosclerosis Reports / Issue 5/2011
Print ISSN: 1523-3804
Electronic ISSN: 1534-6242
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11883-011-0197-9

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