Amarin Corp Plc (AMRN)

[BioChica]

Statins do lower anti-inflammatory markers with a few unwanted side effects. I feel that EPA would be the better drug. EPA should be the primary drug over statins. I think the use of Statins to do this may not be as effective. I think in the long run, a trial needs to be run EPA vs Statin.

I think EPA from the looks of some smaller trials, EPA is more effective than Statins at stabilizing plaque eruptions. EPA goes to work much faster than Statins. Statins need a high dose to become effective at stabilizing soft plaque.

Background: The Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study (JELIS) demonstrated the efficacy of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in preventing coronary
artery disease (CAD) in hypercholesterolemic patients by mechanisms other than LDL-cholesterol (C) lowering. The aim of this study was to examine
the effects of EPA on coronary plaque stabilization by multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT).
Methods: A total of 51 lesions in 43 patients with suspected CAD (<75% stenosed vessels) and a LDL-C level of <160mg/dL were enrolled. The
patients were randomly assigned to receive EPA or ezetimibe. Blood samples were collected to measure serum lipids and changes in coronary
plaques were evaluated by MDCT at baseline and at a 1-year follow-up.
Results: Compared with the baseline, the EPA/ arachidonic acid ratio was significantly increased in the EPA group, whereas the LDL-C levels were
reduced in the ezetimibe group but not in the EPA group. Cross-sectional multiplanar reconstruction of MDCT images showed a significant reduction
of the soft plaque volume in the EPA group but not in the ezetimibe group at follow-up. There were significant improvements in the plaque area,
lumen area and soft plaque volume in the EPA group compared with the ezetimibe group. The incidence of major cardiovascular events were lower in
the EPA group than in the ezetimibe group (9.5% vs. 36.4%, p=0.03 by log-rank test).
Conclusions: The current data suggest that EPA has beneficial effects on coronary plaque stabilization, independent of the LDL-C level.