AIM-HIGH is a five-year cholesterol management program funded by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health) with support from Abbott Laboratories . This study compares how two different FDA-approved treatments that affect cholesterol levels may reduce the risk of heart attacks, stroke and other heart-related complications. The two FDA-approved treatments used in AIM-HIGH are:

• Simvastatin (or Zocor®) taken alone
• Simvastatin taken with extended-release niacin (Niaspan®)

The AIM-HIGH five-year cholesterol program enables patients to receive cholesterol medications and access to medical experts at no cost to them or their insurers.

Only your doctor can tell you if this program is right for you. To find out if you can participate in AIM-HIGH, your doctor will check your cholesterol levels and determine if you have documented evidence of cardiovascular disease.

Examples of this include:

• History of heart attack
• Previous stroke
• History of hospitalization for Acute Coronary Syndrome- chest pain due to insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle
• Test results showing significantly blocked arteries serving heart, brain or peripheral arteries

If you think you might be eligible, you can speak with your doctor and also click here to further review the program eligibility information.

.*A small number of participants (3-5%) may need to have ezetimibe (Zetia®), a prescription medication that also lowers blood cholesterol, added to their assigned study treatment to keep their cholesterol levels in the optimal range.