CHICAGO - Statin drugs, used by millions worldwide to cut artery-clogging "bad" cholesterol and reduce blood vessel inflammation, may prompt heart disease to retreat, according to a study published on Tuesday.

But whether that will produce a meaningful reduction in heart attacks and strokes remains to be seen, the Cleveland Clinic study said.

The report covered 1,455 patients in four studies who were examined by ultrasound diagnostics for plaque deposits on the inner lining of the artery before and after statin treatment.

The drugs reduce levels of LDL, or so-called bad cholesterol. LDL deposits fat in the arteries while HDL, or good cholesterol, carries it off.

There was an average LDL reduction of more than 23 percent in the patients studied, said the report published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, and an increase of HDL of more than 7 percent.

That was accompanied by a plaque reduction of 5 percent or more, a "substantial ... regression," the study said.

"Although it remains to be determined whether the (artery plaque) regression associated with changes in lipid levels observed in this study will translate to meaningful reductions in clinical events (such as heart attacks), the findings suggest that modifying the levels of both detrimental and protective lipids should be an important objective in the management of patients with established coronary artery disease," the study concluded.

Pfizer's Lipitor, Merck's Zocor and AstraZeneca's Crestor are among the leading statins. The drugs lower cholesterol by inhibiting an enzyme that controls how much is produced in the body.

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