Study Touts Crestor Over Other Statin Drug
The recently marketed statin drug Crestor was more effective in treating high cholesterol than the competing medication Lipitor among patients with metabolic syndrome, according to a new study funded by Crestor's manufacturer.
Metabolic syndrome refers to patients who have three or more risk factors of heart disease, including abdominal obesity, low levels of "good" cholesterol (HDL), high blood pressure, and high blood sugar, according to an account from the Bloomberg news service.
According to the company-funded study involving some 400 participants, AstraZeneca's Crestor was found to be more effective in lowering bad cholesterol and raising good cholesterol than Pfizer's Lipitor, Bloomberg reported.
AstraZeneca said people with metabolic syndrome are almost twice as likely to die from cardiovascular problems, adding that their risk of heart attack and stroke is three times higher than among people without the condition.
Crestor's sales have been hampered by concerns that the drug could cause a rare muscle-weakening disorder called rhabdomyolosis. The consumer group Public Citizen has urged the FDA to ban the drug. AstraZeneca has maintained that Crestor is safe and effective, and that the incidence of the muscle disease among its users is similar to that of other cholesterol drugs, Bloomberg reported.
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