Long-term Crestor results support AstraZeneca's claims; safety concern -

Long-term follow-up data from two Phase III studies of AstraZeneca'sdevelopmental statin Crestor (rosuvastatin), presented at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, have reinforced the product's competitive profile compared to rival drugs in the class and extend the previous 12-week results (Marketletter January 22).

The results indicate that Crestor has a superior effect on lipid levels and is associated with a greater ability to achieve patients' target cholesterol levels than Pfizer's top-selling competitor Lipitor (atorvastatin), Bristol-Myers Squibb's Pravachol (pravastatin) and Merck & Co's Zocor (simvastatin). AstraZeneca is hoping to launch Crestor in 2002 and, on the basis of these data, it is expected to make a significant impact in the $14 billion statins market.

The two studies compared rosuvastatin 5mg and 10mg to standard doses of the comparator drugs (atorvastatin 10mg, pravastatin 20mg and simvastatin 20mg) in 800 hypercholesterolemic patients, with the main endpoints being successful attainment of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol targets, as defined by the US National Cholesterol Education Program, as well as overall LDL-c responses.