Crestor Surpasses Lipitor in Popularity With Physicians

Researchers analyzing recent data about cholesterol-lowering drugs like Lipitor and Crestor, known as statins, believe they have discovered a link between the medications and an increased risk of diabetes. Despite this, for the past year, Crestor, a statin drug originally approved to treat high cholesterol, has been increasingly used in people who don’t have a cholesterol problem as a way to prevent heart attacks or strokes. This expanded use was allowed despite growing concern about Crestor side effects, including liver damage, kidney damage, diabetes and a muscle pain and weakness. In severe cases, patients have developed a disease inflicted on the muscles called Crestor rhabdomyolysis. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration

 (FDA) approved the new Crestor indication last February, after reviewing a clinical study which showed a small reduction of strokes, heart attacks and other “cardiovascular events” among people taking the statin, compared with patients taking a placebo. The study was paid for by Astra Zeneca, the maker of Crestor.

Even when Crestor was first approved in 2003 there was controversy, with the patient advocacy group Public Citizen urging the FDA to deny its approval. When Crestor was first approved, the FDA did not approve the drug in stronger proposed doses because of serious Crestor kidney failure risks. Then in an October 29, 2004 press release, Public Citizen reported that the rate of kidney damage in Crestor patients is 75 times higher than in patients taking other cholesterol drugs. There had been 29 reports of acute kidney failure or renal insufficiency. Because of these risks, the group has continually called for Crestor to be pulled from the market, to no avail.

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. The myoglobin can cause severe kidney failure or death. In 2002 and 2008, the FDA issued warnings about the increased risk of rhabdomylosis when statins are used in combination with heart medication containing amiodarone. In 2001, the statin-based drug Baycol was removed from the market due to its links with rhabdomyolysis. The reason for why Baycol was removed, while Crestor shows the same signs of risk, remains unclear.