Often doctors will use the results of clinical trials to help them evaluate different medications. The information and tools below show the results of two clinical trials for CRESTOR® (rosuvastatin calcium).
The first compares CRESTOR versus Lipitor® (atorvastatin calcium), another cholesterol-lowering medication, in a trial known as ECLIPSE (comparison of the effectiveness and safety of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin in high-risk patients with high cholesterol across doses and time points).
The second demonstrates how bad (LDL) cholesterol was lowered in a clinical trial known as STELLAR (comparison of the effectiveness and safety of rosuvastatin in patients with high cholesterol versus simvastatin, atorvastatin, and pravastatin across doses).
This information is not meant to show which cholesterol medication is right for you. Ask your doctor about clinical trial results involving CRESTOR and what the results mean. Then, together, you can decide what action to take.
Definition of high-risk patients: Patients aged 18 years or older with high cholesterol and a history of narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries (coronary heart disease) or evidence of plaque buildup in their arteries that can narrow the arteries over time or a high risk of developing coronary heart disease over the next 10 years.
ECLIPSE was a 24-week clinical trial involving 1,036 high-risk patients who had high cholesterol at the beginning of the trial. Patients were given one of the following statin medications: CRESTOR® (rosuvastatin calcium) or Lipitor® (atorvastatin calcium). The researchers then compared the percentage of patients achieving bad (LDL) cholesterol goal at different dosages and time points (6, 12, 18, 24 weeks) between the two medicines. At each time point and dose comparison, significantly more high-risk patients taking CRESTOR achieved the guideline recommended goal of <100 mg/dL for bad (LDL) cholesterol versus Lipitor. The most common adverse events were muscle aches and pains, chest pains, and inflammation of the nose and throat.†In high-risk patients, per National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III Treatment Guidelines, bad (LDL) cholesterol goal is <100 mg/dL.
STELLAR was a 6-week clinical trial involving 2,240 patients who had high cholesterol at the beginning of the trial. Patients were given different dosages of one of the following statin medications: CRESTOR® (rosuvastatin calcium), Lipitor® (atorvastatin calcium), Zocor® (simvastatin), and Pravachol® (pravastatin sodium). The researchers then compared the changes in the patients' LDL-C between the different drugs and dosages. In the STELLAR trial, the occurrence of adverse events was similar between treatment groups. The most common adverse events were pain, sore throat, muscle ache, and headache.
Talk to your doctor about prescription CRESTOR.
When diet and exercise alone aren't enough to lower cholesterol, adding CRESTOR can help.
In adults, CRESTOR is prescribed along with diet to lower high cholesterol and to slow the buildup of plaque in arteries as part of a treatment plan to lower cholesterol to goal.
Prescribing Information with Patient Information (PDF - 152k)
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
This site is intended for US consumers only.
The information on this Web site should not take the place of talking with your doctor or health care professional. If you have any questions about your condition, or if you would like more information about CRESTOR, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Only you and your health care professional can decide if CRESTOR is right for you.