Drug Litigation News

Hispanics Benefit from Cholesterol-Lowering Statins

THURSDAY, March 2 (HealthDay News) -- Two kinds of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs -- Crestor and Lipitor -- may reduce important heart disease risk factors in Hispanic Americans, new research shows.

The findings were presented Thursday at the American Heart Association's annual conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention, in Phoenix. The study was funded by AstraZeneca, the maker of Crestor.

The study included 635 volunteers, whose blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and LDL "bad" cholesterol were measured before and after treatment. CRP is a marker of inflammation, and high levels of CRP correlate with increased risk of coronary heart disease.

All the volunteers had LDL levels of 130 milligrams per deciliter at the start of the study, which put them at high risk for having a coronary event within the next 10 years.

The volunteers were divided into four groups. One group received 10 milligrams of Lipitor, made by Pfizer Inc., daily for six weeks; a second group received 20 milligrams of Lipitor; the third group received 10 milligrams of Crestor; and the fourth group received 20 milligrams of Crestor.

"LDL levels fell significantly in all four statin-treatment groups after six weeks. Crestor, at both doses, reduced LDL significantly more than Lipitor did at the same dose. Both the drugs had similar effects on the participants' CRP levels," study author Dr. Ramon Luis Lloret, cardiologist and president of the Cardiovascular Center of South Florida, said in a prepared statement.

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	Did You Know?
	Many over the counter drugs were once prescription drugs Americans buy about 5 billion over-the-counter drugs each year, according to government estimates, to treat their headaches, heartburn, coughs and colds, and other routine health problems. According to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, a trade