This study was designed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of pravastatin, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, in patients with hypercholesterolemia.

Pravastatin 5 mg was administered twice daily for 12 weeks in twenty five patients(12 male, 13 female) with hypercholesterolemia(>240 mg/dl). Compared with pretreatment levels, pravastatin significantly decreased levels of total cholesterol(281±41mg/dl versus 218±31mg/dl) by 22% and LDL-cholesterol(199±46mg/dl versus 137±37mg/dl) by 31% with significantly decreased total-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio(7.1±3.0 versus 5.1±1.6) and LDL-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio(5.1±2.5 versus 3.3±1.4) (p<0.005, respectively). During pravastatin treatment, the level of Apo B(164±38mg/dl versus 123±20mg/dl) was decreased significantly by 24% with significantly decreased Apo B/Apo A-1 ratio(1.4±0.5 versus 1.0±0.3) (p<0.005, respectively). No serious side effects were found.

Results from the present study show that pravastatin is an effective and well-tolerated cholesterol-lowering agent.