Upsher-Smith Laboratories publishes data on Slo-Niacin and Lipitor combination study

Results of the SLIM Study ("Slo-Niacin® and Atorvastatin Treatment of Lipoproteins and Inflammatory Markers in Combined Hyperlipidemia") were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology. The objective was to study the lipid and anti-inflammatory effects of Slo-Niacin® 1.5 g/day and Lipitor® (atorvastatin calcium) 10 mg/day, given alone and then together in persons with features of combined hyperlipidemia, high triglycerides, low high-density lipoproteins (HDL - "good cholesterol") and above average low-density lipoproteins (LDL - "bad cholesterol"). The result of the combination therapy was a marked decrease in triglycerides and LDL and a significant increase in HDL.

"The efficacy of controlled-release Slo-Niacin® has never been studied with Lipitor®," explained Dr. Robert Knopp, main author of the SLIM Study, professor of medicine at Harborview Medical Center and director of the Northwest Lipid Research Clinic. "The findings of the SLIM Study provide further foundation to the 20 years of experience with Slo-Niacin®."

Heart disease and stroke develop when elevated levels of LDL circulate in the blood and build up in the walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. Elevated triglycerides further this process. The result is plaque, a thick, hard deposit that narrows arteries and makes them less flexible. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. HDL, on the other hand, protects the blood vessels by carrying cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it is passed from the body.