TEMPLE, Texas – Baylor Scott & White Research Institute is now enrolling for a new clinical trial called PREVENTABLE at its Baylor Scott & White Medical Centers in Waco and Temple. The study will investigate whether taking atorvastatin, a drug commonly used to lower cholesterol under the brand name Lipitor®, can help adults aged 75 and over maintain health by preventing dementia, disability, and heart disease.
The study, which aims to be one of the largest ever conducted in older adults, will include more than 20,000 participants and 100 sites across the U.S. The study will randomize participants without heart disease or dementia to receive either atorvastatin or placebo. Researchers will follow participants for up to five years and test their cognitive and physical abilities, while monitoring them for events such as heart attacks or strokes.
It is a study designed to make research participation easy and efficient. Researchers will follow participants using electronic health records, Medicare data and with study visits over the telephone. The medication used in the study will be shipped directly to participants' homes every three months.
"PREVENTABLE is a unique study for a number of reasons," said Catherine McNeal, MD an internal medicine physician at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Temple and principal investigator of the PREVENTABLE trial at Baylor Scott & White. "Few studies have focused exclusively on individuals aged 75 or older. While statins have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events for some patients, PREVENTABLE will help us to learn whether they are helpful for older adults without heart disease."
In addition to learning whether statins can prolong health in older adults, the PREVENTABLE study may help clarify which older adults should not be taking statins. About one in three people in the U.S. over the age of 75 without heart disease are taking statins.
A video has been developed to share key aspects of PREVENTABLE and why this study is important to older adults: https://youtu.be/NcuUvQg54kY.
"Patients often ask me what they can do to stay healthy and prevent dementia," said Karen Alexander, MD, a geriatric cardiologist at Duke University Medical Center and principal investigator for PREVENTABLE. "This study will help to clarify the benefit of statins for this population. This is important to do before adding one more medication to the list of medicines older adults are often already taking. Results from this study will help us provide valuable answers to improve how we age."
The study will randomize participants without heart disease or dementia to receive either atorvastatin or placebo. The placebo looks like the study drug, but it has no medical benefit.
PREVENTABLE is funded by the National Institute of Aging and the National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under award number U19AG065188. To learn more about PREVENTABLE, visit www.preventabletrial.org.
To find out who can take part in the study, or for more information, please contact Baylor Scott & White Research Institute at 888-50-RESEARCH (888-507-3732).
About Baylor Scott & White Research Institute
Extending investigational expertise across more than 50 specialties areas, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute provides the business and regulatory infrastructure to accelerate medical breakthroughs and innovative new treatment models through clinical and translational activities. Baylor Scott & White Research Institute is present at sites and centers across Baylor Scott & White Health and maintains nearly 2,000 active trials each year .
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About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. It is committed to making quality care more accessible, convenient and affordable through its integrated delivery network, which includes the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform – MyBSWHealth. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,200 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White today serves more than three million Texans. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com
