Authors' reply

摘要

At the end of the in-trial period, randomised treatment was stopped and all participants were encouraged to discuss subsequent lipid-lowering therapy with their general practitioners. During the post-trial period, statin use was similar in both treatment groups and it rose from about 60% at the start to about 80% at the end (see table 2 in the published report).The benefit seen during the in-trial period persisted during the post-trial period despite similar rates of statin use and lipid profiles (see tables 2 and 3).1 But, after the first year of the in-trial period, allocation to 40 mg simvastatin daily was associated with yearly reductions in major vascular events of about a quarter (figure 2).