Controlled-release niacin
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Retrospective cohort design study of 969 elderly males published in the Aug. 15 Annals of Internal Medicine finds that consuming 1.5 g per day of controlled-release niacin decreases LDL cholesterol levels by a mean of 23%. These results "compare favorably" with those reported by a previous niacin study, which found a mean decrease of 22% "using different formulations of sustained-release niacin at 1.5 g" daily ("The Tan Sheet" March 7, p. 7), the study states. David Gray, PharmD, et al. also observed that "approximately one half of patients discontinued the drug because of adverse effects or other causes"