Rosuvastatin helps with early problems

A study just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that rosuvastatin halts early atherosclerosis. This is exciting because people often get atherosclerosis but the symptoms don't show up for a long time. Middle-aged people with low Framingham risk scores present a conundrum for doctors because nobody really knows if widely used statin therapy is beneficial.

This study showed middle-aged adults with an FRS of less than 10% and evidence of subclinical atherosclerosis could get a reduction in progression of the condition with rosuvastatin treatment.

Rosuvastatin did not induce disease regression in the tests, but the reduction in progression was statistically significant.

In a fairly famous (as scientific articles go) paper, Rosuvastatin: An Independent Analysis of Risks and Benefits, the authors conclude the risk-benefit ratio of this medicine is comparable to those of other statins on the market. No greater risk was found for rosuvastatin compared to other statins.

Rosuvastatin is sold by AstraZeneca under the brand name Crestor. Rosuvastatin is quite expensive, as it is still under patent. It costs about $140/month. A recent clinical trial called "Saturn" found no real difference in effectiveness between rosuvastatin and atorvastatin. This was thought to be a major blow to AstraZeneca's business prospects because atorvastatin will become available in a generic and less expensive form in late 2011, and there is less of a credible reason for doctors to continue their patients on the more expensive Crestor.

A Dutch study on rosuvastatin for children in families with high cholesterol found that the drug could considerably reduce lipid levels in teenages, but not always to target levels.