Crestor can protect blood vessels

AstraZeneca's new developmental statin Crestor (rosuvastatin) may haveimportant anti-atherogenic properties above and beyond its lipid-lowering ability, according to new research conducted by scientists at Thomas Jefferson University in the USA. The new preclinical data, presented at the European Atherosclerosis Society meeting in Glasgow, UK, reveal that Crestor can reduce the adhesion of leukocytes to vascular endothelium and enhances the release of nitric oxide, a potent vasodilating agent. Both activities raise the possibility that Crestor may retard the development of atherosclerosis.

Meantime, the EAS meeting also heard that Crestor's arch-rival in the statin arena, Pfizer's Lipitor (atorvastatin), has been shown to reduce C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation, in patients with diabetes or mixed dyslipidemia.