Preventing heart attacks and common heart failure in people 75+ with statins

Preventing Myocardial Events of Aging: A PREVENTABLE Ancillary Study

NIH-funded research Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ · NIH-11239123

This project will see whether taking a daily statin can lower the chance of heart attacks and a common type of heart failure in people aged 75 and older.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionWeill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (New York, United States)
Project IDNIH-11239123 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

This work is an add-on to the large PREVENTABLE trial and focuses on adults age 75 and up. About 20,000 participants are randomized, double-blinded to receive a statin or placebo and followed for roughly four years, and this ancillary study will count hospitalizations for HFpEF and events of acute myocardial infarction. Researchers will compare heart event rates between the statin and placebo groups and examine how well diagnosis codes identify these conditions. If you join PREVENTABLE at a participating center you could be included in this extra analysis without receiving different study drugs beyond the parent trial.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults aged 75 years or older who are eligible for and willing to enroll in the PREVENTABLE trial at a participating U.S. site.

Not a fit: People already taking long-term statins, those with known statin intolerance, or anyone younger than 75 would likely not be eligible or expect benefit from joining this ancillary project.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could point to a simple, widely available way to reduce heart attacks and a common form of heart failure in older adults.

How similar studies have performed: Statins have reduced heart attack risk in younger adults, but no randomized trial has specifically tested whether they prevent HFpEF or AMI in people aged 75 and older, so this question is largely untested in this age group.

Where this research is happening

New York, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.