In August 13 2003, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) approved Crestor (rosuvastatin) to lower
cholesterol. Crestor is the sixth cholesterol lowering "statin" drug
on the U.S. market. The other members of the statin family are
atorvastatin (lipitor), fluvastatin (lescol), lovastatin (mevacor),
pravastatin (pravachol), and simvastatin (zocor). These drugs are
only approved to be used along with a low-cholesterol diet and an
exercise program to lower cholesterol. Another statin, cerivastatin
(baycol), was removed from the market because of at least 31 reports
of fatal rhabdomyolysis, an adverse reaction involving the
destruction of muscle tissue that can lead to kidney failure.Rosuvastatin will be sold by
AstraZeneca of Wilmington, DE under license from Shionogi & Co.,
Ltd., of Osaka, Japan.
As reported by the consumer group
Public Citizen, AstraZeneca originally filed its application with
the FDA to market rosuvastatin in June 2001. The application was
delayed after reports of kidney damage and muscle weakness (an early
signal for rhabdomyolysis) in clinical trials in patients taking 80
milligrams of the drug per day. The company stopped development of
the 80 milligram dose, and rosuvastatin will only be sold in 5, 10,
20, and 40 milligram strengths. There will also be special
restrictions on the distribution of the 40 milligram strength.
Public Citizen opposed the approval
of rosuvastatin because it alleged that the drug causes abnormal
elevations in urine protein and blood that are signals for serious
kidney toxicity, and is the only statin that has shown
life-threatening rhabdomyolysis in pre-approval clinical trials.
Rhabdomyolysis is a potentially
life-threatening condition that occurs when a large number of
skeletal muscle cells die, resulting in the release of a massive
amount of muscle protein (known as myogloblin) into the bloodstream.
The muscle protein can become trapped in the kidneys, clogging up
the filtering process of the kidneys and leading to kidney or renal
failure. In addition, potassium released from the damaged muscle
cells can cause malignant heart rhythms resulting in cardiac arrest.
Symptoms of rhabdomyolysis include
muscle pain, weakness, tenderness, malaise, fever, dark urine,
nausea, and vomiting. The pain may involve specific groups of
muscles or may be generalized throughout the body.
If you are suffering from
rhabdomyolysis or kidney problems, and have taken Crestor, contact
Belluck & Fox for an immeidate legal evaluation. Drug litigation can
be extremely complex. It is best to seek the counsel of a personal
injury attorney with experience in this field of law.
Belluck & Fox has substantial experience with defective product
litigation, including pharmaceutical and medical product cases.
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