Lipophilic statins do not affect the antiplatelet potency of clopidogrel

This letter to the editor discusses the results of the recently published study by Smith et al. which demonstrated that lipophilic statins metabolized through the cytochrome P--450 isoform 3A4 (CYP3A4) do not influence the antiplatelet effectiveness of clopidogrel in patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention. These results as well as those of other recent studies suggest that there is no adverse interaction between clopidogrel and CYP3A4-metabolized statins, during the maintenance phase of therapy (i.e., 2 or more days after the drug co-administration) either at the platelet or at the clinical level.