To determine whether levels of biomarkers or lipids after an eight-week run-in period on Lipitor 10 mg were predictive of an increased risk for future cardiovascular events, a nested case-control analysis of the TNT trial was performed. Patients included in the TNT trial had coronary heart disease and were treated with Lipitor. For the analysis, data for 507 patients who experienced a primary event (defined as cardiac death, heart attack, stroke or resuscitated cardiac arrest) were compared with data for 1020 patients who did not experience events.

The 18 novel biomarkers were not predictive of risk for future cardiovascular events in patients with stable coronary heart disease already on statin therapy. Higher levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and lower levels of HDL cholesterol, however, were each strongly and significantly predictive of risk for future events.

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