These results demonstrate that the benefit of cholesterol-lowering therapy extends to the majority of patients with coronary disease who have average cholesterol levels.

S pe c i a l R e p o r tT h e ne w e ngl a nd jou r na l o f m e dicine n engl j med nejm.org T h e ne w e ngl a nd jou r na l o f m e dicine n engl j med nejm.org

Among patients who have recently had an acute coronary syndrome, an intensive lipid-lowering statin regimen provides greater protection against death or major cardiovascular events than does a standard regimen. These findings indicate that such patients benefit from early and continued lowering of LDL cholesterol to levels substantially below current target levels.