Results from ORION Study on Crestor
May 2, 2005 17:58

Results from ORION indicate that significant lowering of bad cholesterol levels (>50%) are also associated with regressing plaques at sites with the most disease London, United Kingdom, 24 April 2005.

Tokyo (JCNN) - On April 27, AstraZeneca K.K. and Shionogi (TSE: 4507) announced that they have put on sale Crestor Tablet 2.5mg and Crestor Tablet 5mg, cholesterol-lowering agents used in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, across Japan.

Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) is a HMC-CoA reductase inhibitor that effectively reduces LDL cholesterol and elevate HDL cholesterol.

Based on the ICH E2E guideline on Pharmacovigilance Planning, the two companies will exclusively deliver the agents to specific medical institutions and promptly conduct post-marketing surveillance studies.

Six statins are currently available, and they are known by a variety of brand names: atorvastatin (Lipitor*), fluvastatin (Lesco[dagger]), lovastatin (Mevacor,[double dagger] Altoprev), pravastatin (Pravachol||), rosuvastatin (Crestor), and simvastatin (Zocor[double dagger]). Although these drugs have been very successful in managing the cardiovascular health of many patients, there are also potential adverse effects that have been identified. The most common adverse effects reported include muscle pain or weakness that can progress to rhabdomyolysis and mortality.5 If detected early, statin-related symptoms are reversible after withdrawal of the statin.6,7 Early identification of these potentially serious adverse effects makes the information in this update critical for physical therapists, because they frequently screen patients with musculoskeletal complaints.

May 27, 2005 Wonder Drugs and Their Side Effects

It's been an up and down month for statins, a class of widely touted "wonder drugs" that have already sprinted to the top of the best-seller list based on their ability to lower cholesterol and thus reduce the risk of heart disease. Now preliminary studies suggest that they may be effective against an array of cancers as well, though that is far from proved.

The hitch is lingering safety concerns, highlighted by a recent study showing that the most powerful drug in the class had a much higher rate of serious adverse reports than did its competitors.

The statins are undeniably good at lowering cholesterol, and studies published early this year showed that they were also effective in reducing levels of a protein involved in inflammation, a separate risk factor in heart disease. Because inflammation appears to be at the root of many diseases, The Harvard Health Letter recently suggested that statins may eventually be used to treat conditions like Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Studies published or presented this month suggested that statins may reduce the risks of cancers affecting the colon, breast and other organs. Rigorous controlled trials are clearly needed.