Cholesterol Reducing Crestor Accused of Raising Risks For Patients

Crestor, a cholesterol reducing medication also known as a statin, was U.S. government approved in August of 2003. In June 2011, the FDA issued a warning to doctors about potential side effects of Zocor and Crestor when used at high doses (80 mg), saying that the cholesterol drug may increase the risk of muscle injury or myopathy. The warning came after more than a year of FDA experts reviewing clinical trials on Crestor and other drugs containing simvastatin, which had been available to the manufacturers for some time. Muscle injury and other Crestor side effects may hospitalize about 5 out of every 100,000 people who take the highest dose of the medication. The FDA has urged doctors not to start new patients on 80 mg Crestor and to only give the high dose to patients who have taken it for more than a year without side effects.

AstraZeneca, manufacturer of Crestor, states the medication is designed to lower the amount of total cholesterol in the blood, in addition to lowering triglycerides, while the medication increases HDL or “good cholesterol.” The company cautions against taking Crestor with certain other medications, as this can lead to serious side effects. A public consumer group notified the FDA in 2004, requesting Crestor be removed from the market due to possible life-threatening adverse effects. The group complained that the company failed to mention the possibility of the dangerous side effects, kidney failure, muscle damage or Crestor rhabdomyolysis.

Within the first five months of being approved, three U.S. patients taking appropriate doses of Crestor suffered muscle or kidney damage. One 39-year-old woman died from a combination of both muscle damage and subsequent kidney failure. Combined statistics from Canada, the United Kingdom and the U.S. indicate seven cases of rhabdomyolysis (muscle damage) and nine cases of kidney damage or failure. AstraZeneca, the maker of Crestor, recently relabeled its medicine with warnings regarding its use. They say that people of Asian descent should take a lower dose of Crestor than others because of the risks associated with the drug. Victims suffering from the adverse effects of Crestor should consult with an experienced Crestor lawyer immediately.