Crestor Newsroom

While Use Of Crestor Does Seem To Carry A Higher Risk Of Adverse Events Than Other Statins

For individuals already taking Crestor, I would tell them not to be alarmed," he said. "They should talk to their physicians and see if they should be on this drug in light of this information. If they are able to achieve their cholesterol goals with other medications, it might be preferable."

Karas said he would continue to prescribe Crestor for a select group of patients: those with high cholesterol levels not satisfactorily reduced by another statin. While use of Crestor does seem to carry a higher risk of adverse events than other statins, it also tends to bring about a more powerful cholesterol-lowering effect, he pointed out.

Grundy noted that Public Citizen, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit consumer advocacy group, officially petitioned the FDA to take Crestor off the market in March. The FDA denied the group's request, but required the drug to carry a revised warning label to emphasize the risk of muscle damage. At the time, Dr. Sidney Wolfe, head of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, said that "once again, when faced with concerns about the safety of a drug, the FDA has sided with the drug's maker, AstraZeneca, instead of the public."

In response to Monday's research, Wolfe said, "This will be further reason to take the drug off the market." He said his group would try again to get the drug banned, according to the Associated Press.

Some participants in the press conference acknowledged ties with the drug industry. Karas said he is on the AstraZeneca speaker's panel, while Grundy noted similar ties to several companies that market statin medications