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HypercholesterolemiaPhase 3NCT00202878

IMPROVE-IT: Examining Outcomes in Subjects With Acute Coronary Syndrome: Vytorin (Ezetimibe/Simvastatin) vs Simvastatin (P04103)

A Phase 3 study testing ezetimibe/simvastatin and simvastatin in people with Hypercholesterolemia and Myocardial Infarction, run by Organon and Co.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

This is a randomized, active-control, double-blind study of subjects with stabilized high-risk acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The primary objective is to evaluate the clinical benefit of Ezetimibe/Simvastatin Combination 10/40 (single tablet, under the brand VYTORIN in the United States) compared with Simvastatin 40… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Hypercholesterolemia, Myocardial Infarction
What is being tested?
ezetimibe/simvastatin and simvastatin
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
18,144 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
17 Oct 2005to 18 Sep 2014
Phase
Phase 3
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Clinically stable participants may be eligible to enroll within 10 days following hospital admission with high-risk acute coronary syndrome (either ST-elevation myocardial infarction [STEMI] or Non-STEMI or unstable angina)
  • Participants not taking a statin must have an LDL-C of 125 mg/dl or less. Participants taking a statin must have an LDL-C of 100 mg/dl or less.

Who cannot join

  • Pregnant or lactating woman, or intending to become pregnant
  • Participant with active liver disease or persistent unexplained serum transaminase elevation
  • History of alcohol or drug abuse
  • History of sensitivity to statin or ezetimibe
  • A participant for whom discontinuation of existing lipid lowering regimen poses an unacceptable risk.

About this study

Official title: A Multicenter, Double-Blind, Randomized Study to Establish the Clinical Benefit and Safety of Vytorin (Ezetimibe/Simvastatin Tablet) vs Simvastatin Monotherapy in High-Risk Subjects Presenting With Acute Coronary Syndrome (IMProved Reduction of Outcomes: Vytorin Efficacy International Trial - IMPROVE IT)

This is a randomized, active-control, double-blind study of subjects with stabilized high-risk acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The primary objective is to evaluate the clinical benefit of Ezetimibe/Simvastatin Combination 10/40 (single tablet, under the brand VYTORIN in the United States) compared with Simvastatin 40 mg. As per the original protocol, if low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) response was inadequate, the dose of simvastatin in the VYTORIN arm or simvastatin arm, could be increased to 80 mg (Note: per June 2011 protocol amendment, criteria for continued use of 80 mg simvastatin were modified and new increases of simvastatin dose to 80 mg were stopped). Clinical benefit will be defined as the reduction in the risk of the occurrence of the composite endpoint of cardiovascular (CV) death, major coronary events, and stroke.

Being tested
ezetimibe/simvastatin, simvastatin, Placebo for simvastatin 40 mg, Placebo for ezetimibe 10 mg/simvastatin 40 mg combination
Keywords
hypercholesterolemia, myocardial infarction, cholesterol, randomized controlled trials, acute coronary syndrome, angina
Medical subject headings
Hypercholesterolemia, Myocardial Infarction, Acute Coronary Syndrome, Angina Pectoris

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • ezetimibe/simvastatinDrug

    Also called Vytorin, Inegy

    Ezetimibe/simvastatin 10/40 mg per day from randomization through the end of participation. As per the original protocol, if LDL-C response was inadequate, the dose of simvastatin in the VYTORIN arm or simvastatin arm, could be increased to 80 mg (Note: per June 2011 protocol amendment, criteria for continued use of 80 mg simvastatin were modified and new increases of simvastatin dose to 80 mg were stopped).

  • simvastatinDrug

    Also called Zocor

    Simvastatin 40 mg per day from randomization through the end of participation. As per the original protocol, if LDL-C response was inadequate, the dose of simvastatin in the VYTORIN arm or simvastatin arm, could be increased to 80 mg (Note: per June 2011 protocol amendment, criteria for continued use of 80 mg simvastatin were modified and new increases of simvastatin dose to 80 mg were stopped).

  • Placebo for simvastatin 40 mgDrug

    one or two tablets orally daily

  • Placebo for ezetimibe 10 mg/simvastatin 40 mg combinationDrug

    one tablet orally daily.

Study groups in NCT00202878
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
ezetimibe/simvastatinExperimentalOne Ezetimibe 10 mg/simvastatin 40 mg combination tablet and two simvastatin 40 mg placebo tablets once per day.
Receives: Drug: ezetimibe/simvastatin; Drug: Placebo for simvastatin 40 mg
simvastatinActive comparatorOne simvastatin 40 mg tablet, one ezetimibe/simvastatin combination 10/40 placebo tablet and one simvastatin 40 mg placebo tablet once per day.
Receives: Drug: simvastatin; Drug: Placebo for simvastatin 40 mg; Drug: Placebo for ezetimibe 10 mg/simvastatin 40 mg combination

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Time to First Occurrence of Cardiovascular Death, Major Coronary Event, or Non-fatal Stroke (Kaplan-Meier Estimate of Percentage of Participants Experiencing a Qualifying Event)

    The time (in months) from study start to the first occurrence of any of the following clinical outcomes was recorded: cardiovascular death, major coronary Event (non-fatal myocardial infarction [MI], documented unstable angina [UA] requiring hospitalization, or coronary revascularization with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) ≥ 30 days after randomization), or non-fatal Stroke. A Clinical Endpoints Committee (CEC) reviewed and adjudicated each suspected efficacy endpoint event while blinded to treatment. Participants who did not have any endpoint event until last visit or who were lost to follow-up and had no event were censored at the time of last available information (last study visit). The Kaplan-Meier estimate reports the percentage of participants who experienced cardiovascular death, major coronary event, or non-fatal stroke within 7 years from randomization.

    Measured: Up to approximately 9 years

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Time to First Occurrence of Death From Any Cause, Major Coronary Event, or Non-fatal Stroke (Kaplan-Meier Estimate of Percentage of Participants Experiencing a Qualifying Event)

    The time (in months) from study start to the first occurrence of any of the following clinical outcomes was recorded: death from any cause, major coronary event (non-fatal myocardial infarction, documented unstable angina requiring hospitalization, or coronary revascularization with percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting ≥ 30 days after randomization), or non-fatal stroke. A Clinical Endpoints Committee (CEC) reviewed and adjudicated each suspected efficacy endpoint event while blinded to treatment. Participants who did not have any endpoint event until last visit or who were lost to follow-up and had no event were censored at the time of last available information (last study visit). The Kaplan-Meier estimate reports the percentage of participants who experienced death from any cause, major coronary event, or non-fatal stroke within 7 years from randomization.

    Measured: Up to approximately 9 years

  2. Time to First Occurrence of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Death, Non-fatal MI, or Urgent Coronary Revascularization With PCI or CABG ≥ 30 Days After Randomization (Kaplan-Meier Estimate of Percentage of Participants Experiencing a Qualifying Event)

    The time (in months) from study start to the first occurrence of any of the following clinical outcomes was recorded: CHD death, non-fatal MI, or urgent coronary revascularization with PCI or CABG ≥ 30 days after randomization. A Clinical Endpoints Committee (CEC) reviewed and adjudicated each suspected efficacy endpoint event while blinded to treatment. Participants who did not have any endpoint event until last visit or who were lost to follow-up and had no event were censored at the time of last available information (last study visit). The Kaplan-Meier estimate reports the percentage of participants who experienced CHD death, non-fatal MI, or urgent coronary revascularization with PCI or CABG ≥ 30 days after randomization within 7 years from randomization.

    Measured: Up to approximately 9 years

  3. Time to First Occurrence of CV Death, Nonfatal MI, UA With Hospitalization, All Revascularization Occurring ≥30 Days After Randomization, and Non-fatal Stroke (Kaplan-Meier Estimate of Percentage of Participants Experiencing a Qualifying Event)

    The time (in months) from study start to the first occurrence of any of the following clinical outcomes was recorded: CV death, non-fatal MI, documented UA that requires admission into a hospital, all revascularization (including non-coronary) occurring at least 30 days after randomization, and non-fatal stroke. A Clinical Endpoints Committee (CEC) reviewed and adjudicated each suspected efficacy endpoint event while blinded to treatment. Participants who did not have any endpoint event until last visit or who were lost to follow-up and had no event were censored at the time of last available information (last study visit). The Kaplan-Meier estimate reports the percentage of participants who experienced CV death, non-fatal MI, unstable angina with hospitalization, all revascularization occurring ≥ 30 days after randomization, and non-fatal stroke within 7 Years from randomization.

    Measured: Up to approximately 9 years

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted20 Sep 2005 (estimated)
  2. Study start17 Oct 2005
  3. Primary completion18 Sep 2014
  4. Study completion18 Sep 2014

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Triple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
18,144 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00202878
Sponsor's protocol ID
P04103
Other IDs
MK-0653A-080
Status last verified
Feb 2022
First submitted
13 Sep 2005
Last updated
18 Jun 2024
Data monitoring committee
Yes
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Blazing MA, Giugliano RP, Cannon CP, Musliner TA, Tershakovec AM, White JA, Reist C, McCagg A, Braunwald E, Califf RM. Evaluating cardiovascular event reduction with ezetimibe as an adjunct to simvastatin in 18,144 patients after acute coronary syndromes: final baseline characteristics of the IMPROVE-IT study population. Am Heart J. 2014 Aug;168(2):205-12.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2014.05.004. Epub 2014 May 15.

    PubMed 25066560
  • Califf RM, Lokhnygina Y, Cannon CP, Stepanavage ME, McCabe CH, Musliner TA, Pasternak RC, Blazing MA, Giugliano RP, Harrington RA, Braunwald E. An update on the IMProved reduction of outcomes: Vytorin Efficacy International Trial (IMPROVE-IT) design. Am Heart J. 2010 May;159(5):705-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2010.03.004. Epub 2010 Mar 15. No abstract available.

    PubMed 20435175
  • Cannon CP, Blazing MA, Giugliano RP, McCagg A, White JA, Theroux P, Darius H, Lewis BS, Ophuis TO, Jukema JW, De Ferrari GM, Ruzyllo W, De Lucca P, Im K, Bohula EA, Reist C, Wiviott SD, Tershakovec AM, Musliner TA, Braunwald E, Califf RM; IMPROVE-IT Investigators. Ezetimibe Added to Statin Therapy after Acute Coronary Syndromes. N Engl J Med. 2015 Jun 18;372(25):2387-97. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1410489. Epub 2015 Jun 3.

    PubMed 26039521
  • Bohula EA, Giugliano RP, Cannon CP, Zhou J, Murphy SA, White JA, Tershakovec AM, Blazing MA, Braunwald E. Achievement of dual low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein targets more frequent with the addition of ezetimibe to simvastatin and associated with better outcomes in IMPROVE-IT. Circulation. 2015 Sep 29;132(13):1224-33. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.018381. Epub 2015 Sep 1.

    PubMed 26330412
  • Cheng Y, Zhai S, Zhong W, West RM, Shen J. Improving polygenic risk score based drug response prediction using transfer learning. NPJ Genom Med. 2025 Nov 21;10(1):74. doi: 10.1038/s41525-025-00528-x.

    PubMed 41271821
  • Tunnicliffe DJ, Palmer SC, Cashmore BA, Saglimbene VM, Krishnasamy R, Lambert K, Johnson DW, Craig JC, Strippoli GF. HMG CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) for people with chronic kidney disease not requiring dialysis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 Nov 29;11(11):CD007784. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007784.pub3.

    PubMed 38018702
  • Patel SM, Qamar A, Giugliano RP, Jarolim P, Marston NA, Park JG, Blazing MA, Cannon CP, Braunwald E, Morrow DA. Association of Serial High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T With Subsequent Cardiovascular Events in Patients Stabilized After Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Secondary Analysis From IMPROVE-IT. JAMA Cardiol. 2022 Dec 1;7(12):1199-1206. doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2022.3627.

    PubMed 36260325
  • Fordyce CB, Giugliano RP, Cannon CP, Roe MT, Sharma A, Page C, White JA, Lokhnygina Y, Braunwald E, Blazing MA. Cardiovascular Events and Long-Term Risk of Sudden Death Among Stabilized Patients After Acute Coronary Syndrome: Insights From IMPROVE-IT. J Am Heart Assoc. 2022 Feb 15;11(4):e022733. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.121.022733. Epub 2022 Feb 3.

    PubMed 35112882
  • Oyama K, Giugliano RP, Blazing MA, Park JG, Tershakovec AM, Sabatine MS, Cannon CP, Braunwald E. Baseline Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Clinical Outcomes of Combining Ezetimibe With Statin Therapy in IMPROVE-IT. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2021 Oct 12;78(15):1499-1507. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2021.08.011.

    PubMed 34620406
  • Giugliano RP, Gencer B, Wiviott SD, Park JG, Fuchs CS, Goessling W, Musliner TA, Tershakovec AM, Blazing MA, Califf R, Cannon CP, Braunwald E. Prospective Evaluation of Malignancy in 17,708 Patients Randomized to Ezetimibe Versus Placebo: Analysis From IMPROVE-IT. JACC CardioOncol. 2020 Sep 15;2(3):385-396. doi: 10.1016/j.jaccao.2020.07.008. eCollection 2020 Sep.

    PubMed 34396246
  • Nanna MG, Navar AM, Giugliano RP, White JA, Lokhnygina Y, Mitchel YB, Musliner TA, Cannon CP, Blazing MA. Muscle Complaints or Events in Patients Randomized to Simvastatin or Ezetimibe/Simvastatin. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020 Feb 25;75(7):835-837. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2019.12.022. No abstract available.

    PubMed 32081289
  • Bach RG, Cannon CP, Giugliano RP, White JA, Lokhnygina Y, Bohula EA, Califf RM, Braunwald E, Blazing MA. Effect of Simvastatin-Ezetimibe Compared With Simvastatin Monotherapy After Acute Coronary Syndrome Among Patients 75 Years or Older: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Cardiol. 2019 Sep 1;4(9):846-854. doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2019.2306.

    PubMed 31314050
  • Sharma A, Sun JL, Lokhnygina Y, Roe MT, Ahmad T, Desai NR, Blazing MA. Patient Phenotypes, Cardiovascular Risk, and Ezetimibe Treatment in Patients After Acute Coronary Syndromes (from IMPROVE-IT). Am J Cardiol. 2019 Apr 15;123(8):1193-1201. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2019.01.034. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

    PubMed 30739657
  • Navar AM, Roe MT, White JA, Cannon CP, Lokhnygina Y, Newby LK, Giugliano RP, Tershakovec AM, Braunwald E, Califf RM, Blazing MA. Medication Discontinuation in the IMPROVE-IT Trial. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2019 Jan;12(1):e005041. doi: 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.118.005041.

    PubMed 30630361
  • Bonaca MP, Gutierrez JA, Cannon C, Giugliano R, Blazing M, Park JG, White J, Tershakovec A, Braunwald E. Polyvascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and long-term vascular risk: a secondary analysis of the IMPROVE-IT trial. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2018 Dec;6(12):934-943. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(18)30290-0. Epub 2018 Nov 2.

    PubMed 30396865

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 3 study testing ezetimibe/simvastatin and simvastatin in people with Hypercholesterolemia and Myocardial Infarction, run by Organon and Co.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 Jun 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 3 studies compare the treatment with the current standard treatment or a placebo in a large group, to confirm how well it works and watch for side effects.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 30 Sep 2015). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Time to First Occurrence of Cardiovascular Death, Major Coronary Event, or Non-fatal Stroke (Kaplan-Meier Estimate of Percentage of Participants Experiencing a Qualifying Event) (time frame: Up to approximately 9 years). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00202878, which also lists 27 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 18 Jun 2024.

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