Crestor cuts risk of heart disease, study finds

Source: Healthcare Digital

Date :10/11/2008 12:09:52

A large-scale study of AstraZeneca plc's anti-cholesterol drug, Crestor, has been shown to cut heart-attack risk even for people without high cholesterol, the drugmaker said.

Known as Jupiter, the study of close to 18,000 patients found that Crestor reduced the risk of stroke, heart attacks and other major cardiovascular events for those with low-to-normal cholesterol levels but elevated hsCRP, a protein linked to inflammation of the arteries.

The drug reduced heart attacks and strokes by 50 percent, AstraZeneca said at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association.

Analysts at UBS have estimated the data may expand Crestor's market by 10 to 50 percent.

In the third quarter, Crestor was AstraZeneca's top-selling cardiovascular drug, with US$921 million in revenue.