Crestor Correlated with Cardiac Arrest

Director of Public Citizen, a public health advocacy group, Sidney Wolfe described it as a "unique toxicity that distinguishes this drug from the other statins". The drug he’s referring to is Crestor. Public Citizen wanted to remove it in March of 2004. There have been several cases of rhabdomyolysis which is the breakdown of muscle fibers resulting in the release of muscle fiber contents into the circulation. Some of these are toxic to the kidney and can result in kidney infection. Related Crestor side effects include cardiac arrest resulting from potassium released form the damaged muscle cells, causing malignant heart rhythms.

Generically known as Rosuvastatin, Crestor is an oral prescription drug meant to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood when used together with certain lifestyle changes in diet and exercise. The manufacturer, AstraZeneca, promotes the product as one that works by slowing the production of cholesterol in the liver and by increasing the liver’s ability to remove “bad” LDL cholesterol. Crestor has been marketed as a "super-statin" because it allegedly lowers LDL cholesterol more than other statin drugs. Researchers looked at studies involving a total of 91,140 participants performed between 1994 and 2009. They discovered that there was about a 9% increase in the risk of type 2 diabetes among those who use statins. While they eliminated a number of other potential causes of the increased diabetes risk, they do not make a causal link between statins and diabetes, however. Plaintiffs pursuing legal action are filing Crestor lawsuits to receive compensation.


Based on a study called the JUPITER trial, the FDA approved Crestor on February 8, 2010, for patients who have not been diagnosed with heart disease but are considered to be at-risk. The JUPITER (Justification for the Use of statins in Primary prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin) trial compared 8,901 patients who took Crestor to an equal number who took a placebo. The use of Crestor as a preventative heart disease medication has, however, been met with controversy due to the drug’s potential side effects. Other studies have found that about 1 in 10,000 statin users develop a sometimes-fatal muscle condition known as rhabdomyolysis. The rare condition causes skeletal muscle damage and releases myoglobin into the bloodstream. Victims suffering from the adverse side effects of Crestor are advised to consult with an experienced Crestor lawyer to ensure proper representation in filling a lawsuit.