Lasofoxifene and Cardiovascular Events in Postmenopausal Women With Osteoporosis

BackgroundIn the Postmenopausal Evaluation and Risk Reduction With Lasofoxifene (PEARL) trial, women assigned to lasofoxifene 0.5 mg/d had a lower risk of major coronary heart disease (CHD) events and stroke, whereas women assigned to lasofoxifene 0.25 mg/d had a lower risk of stroke. Both doses of lasofoxifene increased the risk of venous thromboembolic events. In this report, we provide comprehensive cardiovascular end-point data, including component events comprising the composite end point of major CHD events, and evaluate whether the effect of lasofoxifene 0.5 mg/d is consistent across different categories of CHD risk.Methods and resultsIn this study, 8556 women 59 to 80 years of age with osteoporosis received lasofoxifene 0.25 mg/d, lasofoxifene 0.5 mg/d, or placebo for 5 years. Cardiovascular events, including major CHD events, were prespecified secondary end points. Compared with placebo, lasofoxifene 0.5 mg/d reduced the risk of major CHD events 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.50 to 0.93), including the risk of coronary revascularization (hazard ratio, 0.56, 95% confidence interval, 0.32 to 0.98). Reductions in risk of hospitalization for unstable angina (hazard ratio, 0.55; 95% confidence interval, 0.29 to 1.04) and diagnosis of new ischemic heart disease (hazard ratio, 0.52; 95% confidence interval, 0.26 to 1.04) nearly reached significance (P=0.06 for both comparisons). Although both hazard ratios were