AstraZeneca's Crestor no better than Lipitor in reducing plaque in arteries
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
AstraZeneca has failed to show that its cholesterol lowering drug, Crestor (rosuvastatin), is better than atorvastatin (Pfizer's Lipitor), in reducing plaque in the arteries of the heart following two years of treatment. The AstraZeneca drug did demonstrate some statistically significant differences from the performance of Lipitor in a number of lipid parameters. This publication of the results comes as Lipitor goes off patent, an event that some analysts believe will serve to erode Crestor sales.