Crestor Drug

AstraZeneca's Crestor cholesterol drug may have triggered a temporary weakening in a 67-year-old woman's heart, Mayo Clinic doctors said in a letter published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Kidney and muscle complications from Crestor may have caused the woman's heart to pump about a fifth as much blood as normal on each beat, James Ireland, a Mayo Clinic doctor, said in Rochester. He was one of four authors of the letter, published under the heading "Clinical Observation."

Intensive doses of a cholesterol-lowering statin drug have for the first time cleared sticky plaque lodged in arteries, opening the possibility of a nonsurgical method of treating the major cause of heart attacks, researchers reported Monday. The results were seen in a study of 500 patients taking the highest recommended dosage of Crestor -- 40 milligrams -- quadruple the typical starting dose of 10 milligrams.

Intensive doses of a cholesterol-lowering statin drug have for the first time cleared sticky plaque lodged in arteries, opening the possibility of a nonsurgical method of treating the major cause of heart attacks, researchers reported Monday. The results were seen in a study of 500 patients taking the highest recommended dosage of Crestor -- 40 milligrams -- quadruple the typical starting dose of 10 milligrams.

AstraZeneca's Crestor cholesterol drug may have triggered a temporary weakening in a 67-year-old woman's heart, Mayo Clinic doctors said in a letter published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Kidney and muscle complications from Crestor may have caused the woman's heart to pump about a fifth as much blood as normal on each beat, James Ireland, a Mayo Clinic doctor, said in Rochester. He was one of four authors of the letter, published under the heading "Clinical Observation."

The widely used cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor has at least twice the incidence of side effects as other drugs in the statin family, although it should still be considered safe for long-term use, according to a study released Monday. The findings suggest that Crestor, manufactured by AstraZeneca, should probably be reserved for patients who have had a hard time lowering their overall cholesterol levels with other statins, said Dr. Richard H.

The Food and Drug Administration urged doctors Wednesday to use caution in prescribing the cholesterol drug Crestor to patients of Asian heritage, but said that overall the medication carried no higher risk of serious side effects than its competitors. Issuing a public health advisory and changes to prescribing information for doctors, the agency said that Asian patients should be started at the lowest approved dose, 5 milligrams a day.

In results from an eagerly anticipated study that could dramatically change the treatment of cardiovascular disease, researchers have found that statin drugs -- now given to millions of people with high cholesterol -- can halve the risk of heart attacks and stroke in seemingly healthy patients as well.

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The widely used cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor has at least twice the incidence of side effects as other drugs in the statin family, although it should still be considered safe for long-term use, according to a study released Monday. The findings suggest that Crestor, manufactured by AstraZeneca, should probably be reserved for patients who have had a hard time lowering their overall cholesterol levels with other statins, said Dr. Richard H.

The Food and Drug Administration urged doctors Wednesday to use caution in prescribing the cholesterol drug Crestor to patients of Asian heritage, but said that overall the medication carried no higher risk of serious side effects than its competitors. Issuing a public health advisory and changes to prescribing information for doctors, the agency said that Asian patients should be started at the lowest approved dose, 5 milligrams a day.