A large U.K. study looking at the use of a cholesterol-lowering statin drug with diabetics has been halted nearly two years ahead of schedule due to proof of "significant" treatment benefits.

CARDS (the Collaborative AtoRvastatin Diabetes Study) was the first randomized, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the primary prevention of major cardiovascular events in people with type 2 diabetes and no history of heart disease or stroke.  It showed that diabetics treated with the atorvastatin experienced a 37-per-cent reduction in events such as cardiovascular-related death and fatal and non-fatal heart attacks as well as a 48-per-cent reduction in strokes, as compared with the placebo group.

"With so many Canadians living with, and at high risk of developing, type 2 diabetes, this research is highly relevant," says Donna Lillie, vice-president of research and professional education with the Canadian Diabetes Association. "As outlined in our current treatment guidelines, aggressively controlling lipid (cholesterol) levels, along with blood glucose levels and blood pressure, has proven to prevent or significantly delay damage to the body’s large blood vessels. This is further evidence that emphasizes the importance of lowering cholesterol."

More than two-million Canadians have diabetes, a number expected to reach three-million by the end of this decade, making it a significant public-health issue.

CARDS was conducted at 132 sites in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, involving 2,838 men and women, aged 40 to 75 years, who have type 2 diabetes and no previous history of heart disease or stroke but with some cardiovascular risk factors other than the diabetes.