Cholesterol Drug Crestor, Linked to Muscle Damage and Kidney Failure, May Lower Blood Clot Risk

Crestor, the potent anti-cholesterol drug by AztraZeneca Pharmaceuticals that has been blamed for causing severe muscle damage and kidney failure in some users, may also dramatically reduce the risk of dangerous blood clots, new research shows.

The findings from a recently released major clinical trial of Crestor, also called rosuvastatin, are a first for the class of cholesterol fighters called statin drugs, which are taken by millions of Americans to control cholesterol. Crestor was found to cut the risk of life-threatening blood clots by 43 percent.

Major Study Finds Anti-Clotting Benefit

Researchers conducting the clinical study of Crestor found that taking the drug reduced the risks of death, heart attacks, and strokes caused by venous thrombosis in people with a protein linked to heart disease. More than 17,000 patients were part of the study, which was stopped two years early after the positive developments were detected.

For the study, men and women were randomly given either 20 milligrams of Crestor daily or a placebo. The researchers found that only 34 people in the Crestor group developed a venous thromboembolism compared to 60 in the placebo group.

In venous thromboembolism, red blood cells in the veins clot and may break off and lodge in the lungs, creating a potentially deadly condition. About 100,000 of pulmonary embolism cases are reported in the United States every year.

Unlike other popular anti-blood clotting drugs, including warfarin, there was no increased risk of bleeding found with taking Crestor, the researchers said.

FDA Warns of Crestor Dangers

Despite the positive clinical study results, Crestor has been linked to severe injuries. In March 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a public safety alert about the risks of serious muscle damage in people taking Crestor and other statin drugs.

Crestor’s labeling was ordered changed to reflect that risk and warn physicians and patients in an effort to reduce the risk of serious muscle damage, particularly in people given higher doses of the drug.

Asians were more than two times more likely than Caucasians to suffer the adverse effects, studies found. In response to that finding, Crestor’s labeling was changed to show a lower starting dose of 5 mg for Asian patients.

The FDA said while some Crestor patients had suffered kidney failure of various types, there was not enough evidence to conclude that the drug directly caused the kidney damage.

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