Randomized comparison of pitavastatin and pravastatin treatment on the reduction of urinary albumin in patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy

The effect of pitavastatin and pravastatin treatment on renal function was compared in type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy in a randomized, controlled, open-label, parallel and multi-centre study. Type 2 diabetic patients with modest renal impairment (serum creatinine level <1.4 mg/dl) accompanied by albuminuria (30-600 mg/g creatinine) were randomly assigned to receive 2 mg of pitavastatin (n = 44) or 10 mg of pravastatin (n = 43) for 12 months. At 12 months, pitavastatin significantly reduced urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio than pravastatin in subjects with macroalbuminuria (-67.2% vs. +14.5%, p = 0.0040), but not in subjects with microalbuminuria. There was no significant difference in the change in estimated glomerular filtration rate between the two groups. Pitavastatin is more effective than pravastatin for the reduction of albuminuria in type 2 diabetic patients with early stage of diabetic nephropathy.