Crestor
Rosuvastatin (Crestor®) is a member of the drug class of statins, used to treat hypercholesterolemia and to prevent cardiovascular disease.
Crestor® is marketed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
Several months after its introduction in Europe, Richard Horton, the editor of the medical journal The Lancet, criticised the way Crestor had been introduced—with little effectivity study on atherosclerosis-related diseases (relying only on cholesterol levels as surrogate endpoints). The manufacturer responded by claiming that few drugs had been tested so successfully on so many patients.
Many doctors have been hesitant to prescribe Rosuvastatin because studies have suggested that this drug has a higher incidence of rhabdomyolysis (an undesired side effect) than other statins.
References
- Horton R. "The statin wars: why AstraZeneca must retreat." Lancet 2003;362:9393.
See also
