12-week Open-label, Phase IIIb Comparing Efficacy and Safety of Rosuvastatin (CRESTOR™) in Combination With Ezetimibe

A 12-week Open-label, Randomised, Parallel-group, Multicentre, Phase IIIb Study to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of Rosuvastatin (CRESTOR™) in Combination With Ezetimibe and Simvastatin in Patients With Hypercholesterolaemia and CHD

The purpose of this study is to determine whether treatment of Rosuvastatin (CRESTOR™) or Simvastatin given as monotherapy or given in combination with Ezetimibe, will lower the Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C) in patients with Hypercholesterolaemia and Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) or a CHD Risk Equivalent, Atherosclerosis or a 10-year CHD Risk of >20%

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with with hypercholesterolaemia and CHD or a CHD risk equivalent, clinical evidence of atherosclerosis or a Framingham 10-year CHD risk score of >20
• Patients will need to sign an informed consent before any visit procedures can be performed, including procedures for the optional genetic research and biomarker studies.
• Patients must be 18 years or older and will be asked to stop taking any current cholesterol-lowering medications. Dietary counselling will be provided which will include an overview of the Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (TLC) diet the patients will be asked to follow

Exclusion Criteria:

• Use of lipid lowering drugs and other prohibited concomitant medications. History of statin-induced myopathy, or serious hypersensitivity reaction to other HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), including rosuvastatin, simvastatin and/or a history of hypersensitivity to any components of ezetimibe.
• Patients considered to be unstable by their physician after the following events:

a myocardial infarction, recent episode of unstable angina, myocardial revascularisation [percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery or another revascularisation procedure] or a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or stroke and patients awaiting a planned myocardial revascularisation