Patients with lower baseline levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) have a greater percentage reduction of the lipoprotein with statins or PCSK9 inhibition than do those with higher baseline levels, a study shows.

US researchers examined data from 2000 patients in the A to Z-TIMI 21 trial, 10,000 patients in the IMPROVE-IT trial and 25,000 in the FOURIER trial, with all participants having existing CVD.

For patients on evolocumab, baseline LDL-C was reduced by 59% in patients with a level of 3.36mmol/L and by 66% in those with a level of 1.81mmol/L.

Patients on simvastatin had 45% and 48% reductions in LDL, for the two baseline levels, respectively.