Crestor May Harm Kidneys

Crestor Damage Higher Than Other Cholesterol Drugs

Public Citizen's Dr. Wolfe renewed his effort in October 2004 to get the anti-cholesterol drug Crestor removed from sale in the US market. Dr. Wolfe had previously published a letter in The Lancet medical journal, saying that Crestor is linked to increased incidences of rhabdomyolysis and at a higher rate than other statin drugs. Dr. Wolfe now says that the adverse side effects associated with the use of Crestor include kidney damage.

In an October 29, 2004 Press Release, Public Citizen reported that the rate of kidney damage in Crestor patients is 75 times higher than in patients taking other cholesterol drugs. There have been 29 reports of acute renal failure or renal insufficiency.

The FDA had evidence before approving Crestor that it caused an increased incidence of rhabdomyolysis, says Dr. Wolfe, yet the FDA approved the drug anyway. As of August 26, 2004, there were 65 reports of rhabdomyolysis among U.S. patients who took Crestor, which Dr. Wolfe says makes Crestor as dangerous as Baycol, a cholesterol lowering drug that was withdrawn from the market in 2001.

In an October 2004 issue of The Lancet medical journal, Crestor manufacturer AstraZeneca defended Crestor, saying in a letter that Crestor's safety profile is similar to those of the currently marketed statins.

AstraZeneca changed Crestor's European label in June 2004 due to safety concerns. Since that time, Health Canada and the US FDA have advised that patients be prescribed the lowest possible dose of Crestor because of the possibility of adverse side effects associated with Crestor.

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