HIVMA Urges Adoption of New Statin Therapy Recommendations for People With HIV

People with HIV have about a two-fold increased risk of cardiovascular disease and develop the disease about a decade earlier than the general population. New guidance released today on the use of statin therapy in people with HIV by the Department of Health and Human Services Guidelines Panel for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Adults and Adolescents, if followed, could dramatically reduce serious cardiovascular events among people with HIV. 

The recommendations — developed in collaboration with the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and HIVMA — follow the release of the results from a large, randomized clinical trial, REPRIEVE. This trial provided evidence that for people with HIV between the ages of 40 and 75 with low to intermediate cardiovascular disease risk the use of statin therapy can significantly lower their risk for a serious cardiac event. HIVMA encourages the clinician community to review and quickly adopt the guidance to help people with HIV stay healthy and thrive as they age. The guidance is available on www.clinicalinfo.hiv.gov. 

Allison Agwu, MD, ScM, FIDSA, FAAP
Chair, HIV Medicine Association