Consumer Group Calls for Crestor Recall

Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, has indicated that the FDA did not go far enough and should have issued an outright ban on the high dose version of Crestor, Lipitor and Zocor, according to a statement made in its Worst Pills, Best Pills newsletter. The consumer group has designated Crestor 80mg as a “Do Not Use” medication, and urged all consumers, including those who had taken Crestor 80 mg without any problem so far, to consider switching to another medication or lower Crestor dosage. However, the organization cautioned that patients should check with their doctors before ending any drug treatment. Patients suffering from the adverse effects fo Crestor are taking legal action and consulting with experienced Crestor lawyers.

Crestor litigation can occur when it has been determined that there is a definitive medical link between a damaging side effect and Crestor. Dr. Sidney Wolf, director of the Public Citizen Health Group has repeatedly called on the FDA to take Crestor off the market. The group has also shown that AstraZeneca, maker of Crestor, may have deliberately held negative testing results from the FDA. Crestor litigation will invariably take the drug maker's history into account during any and all Crestor lawsuits or legal actions taken against Crestor.

In March, 2004, responding to reports that Crestor patients were also sufferng from rhabdomyolysis at a higher rate than with other statins, the consumer group Public Citizen complained to the FDA and asked that the drug be removed from the market. The FDA rejected that petition in March, 2005. However, in May, 2005, the American Heart Association's journal, Circulation, published a report confirming the complatins of Public Citizen. The report suggests that users of Crestor are up to six times as likely to suffer complications, as compared to users of other statins. AstraZeneca asserts that Crestor is safe, and that serious Crestor side effects are very rare, with rhabdomyolysis occurring at a rate of less than 1 case per 10,000 users.. In anticipation of possible future litigation, a number of law firms are recruiting clients who believe they may have been injured as a result of Crestor use.