Diversified Natural Products, Inc. reported results of a new study presented this week at the 58th annual Scientific Sessions of the American College of Cardiology, demonstrating that the addition of HEP-40 (enzymatically hydrolyzed polysaccharide with a molecular weight of 40 kiloDaltons) to statin therapy significantly lowered low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and improved lipid profiles in patients who had not reached target LDL levels.

Dr. John Sampalis, Senior Scientific Director of JSS Medical (Quebec, Canada) and lead investigator of the HEP-40 clinical trial stated: "While the number of statin prescriptions continues to grow, physicians are increasingly wary of the tolerance issues associated with statins and are seeking to minimize the dose of statins where possible in order to limit side effects. The addition of HEP-40 to statin therapy appears to offer a natural, effective and safe addition to statin therapy that can improve efficacy."

Clinical Trial Design and Results

The randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study included 68 patients who were on a low dose of Lipitor®, Crestor®, and to a lesser extent, Zocor®. Patients were treated for 12 weeks on the low dose statin plus HEP-40 or a low dose statin plus placebo. The HEP-40 plus statin group experienced a 25% additional reduction in LDL, relative to the placebo plus statin group (p=0…