The JUPITER trial: How will it change clinical practice?

Several studies have shown that baseline levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in apparently healthy men and women are predictive of future cardiovascular events. In primary prevention, hs-CRP levels could indicate which primary prevention patients are at higher risk and might benefit from preventive statin therapy. Justification for the Use of Statins in Primary Prevention: An Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin (JUPITER) aimed to determine whether treatment with rosuvastatin 20 mg/d would reduce the rate of first major cardiovascular events among apparently healthy individuals with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels below 130 mg/dL, but with hs-CRP levels of 2 mg/L or higher. At the time of study closure, it was found that treatment with rosuvastatin significantly reduced the primary composite endpoint by 44% as compared with placebo. Results of the JUPITER trial clearly suggest that patients with elevated hs-CRP stand to benefit from statin therapy, regardless of their LDL-C level.