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Call for removal of Crestor (p 2189)
June 23, 2004The author of a letter in this week's issue of THE LANCET is calling for the removal of the statin rosuvastatin (Crestor) from the drug market, based on data suggesting that it has a poorer safety profile than other licensed statin drugs.
A Lancet editorial (Lancet 2003; 362: 1341) voiced concerns about the high-profile marketing of rosuvastatin despite the lack of strong evidence from large randomised trials to support its efficacy and safety. Writing in this week's issue, Sidney Wolfe from Public Citizen, a non-profit consumer advocacy organisation based in Washington DC, USA, presents pre-marketing and post-marketing data detailing a higher incidence of rhabdomyolysis (the breakdown of muscle fibre which can cause kidney failure) compared with other statins.
Dr Wolfe comments: "By now, the number of reported cases of rhabdomyolysis and renal insufficiency or renal failure-20 of which have occurred in people using 10 mg [the lowest dose of the drug]-is certain to have increased substantially from the number filed by April 13, 2004. The renal toxicity, high rate of cases of rhabdomyolysis compared with other statins, and lack of unique benefit are compelling reasons to remove rosuvastatin from the market before additional patients are injured or killed. To allow AstraZeneca to continue desperately seeking a piece of the estimated $20 billion-a-year statin market hardly justifies governments allowing this ultimately doomed drug to stay on the market". (quote from published letter).
Lancet
Statins Current Events and Statins News RSSTraditional Risk Assessment Tools Do Not Accurately Predict Coronary Heart Disease
The Framingham and National Cholesterol Education Program tools, NCEP, do not accurately predict coronary heart disease, according to a study performed at the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, CT.
Statin warning for pregnant women
Pregnant women or those hoping to start or extend a family should avoid using the cholesterol-lowering drugs statins, say scientists.
Study associates 11 new gene sites with cholesterol, triglyceride levels
An international research team has identified 11 novel locations in the human genome where common variations appear to influence cholesterol or triglyceride levels, bringing the total number of lipid-associated genes to 30.
New genes present drug targets for managing cholesterol and glucose levels
Scientists have identified 12 new genes that are somewhat strange bedfellows: Some link gallstones and blood cholesterol levels, others link melatonin and sleep patterns to small increases in glucose levels and larger jumps in the risk of diabetes.
Novel bioreactor enhances interleukin-12 production in genetically-modified tobacco plants
Interleukin-12 is a naturally occurring protein essential for the proper functioning of the human immune system.
A scientific breakthrough on the control of the bad cholesterol
A study performed by the team of Dr. Nabil G. Seidah, Director of the Biochemical Neuroendocrinology Research Unit at the IRCM, shows for the very first time that the degradation by PCSK9 of the LDLR receptor
Bad cholesterol inhibits the breakdown of peripheral fat
he so called bad cholesterol (LDL) inhibits the breakdown of fat in cells of peripheral deposits, according to a study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. The discovery reveals a novel function of LDL as a regulator of fat turnover besides its well-established detrimental effects in promoting atherosclerosis.
Vitamin C lowers levels of heart disease biomarker, finds study, adds to debate of health benefits
A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, adds to the evidence that vitamin C supplements can lower concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), a central biomarker of inflammation that has been shown to be a powerful predictor of heart disease and diabetes.
MSU researcher studies ties between cholesterol drugs, muscle problems
A Michigan State University researcher is studying whether the most popular class of cholesterol-lowering drugs may cause muscle problems in users.
Researchers discover new risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and a way to control it
A team of international researchers - including scientists from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University - have discovered that having high levels of particular protein puts patients at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
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