FDA approves Crestor for use in prevention of heart disease

The Food and Drug Administration approved Crestor (rosuvastatin) this week for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. This is the first time a statin has received this sort of approval.

According to the FDA, "The new indication is for reducing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke or the need for a procedure to treat blocked or narrowed arteries in patients who have never been told they have heart disease but are nevertheless at increased risk of a cardiac event."

Dr. Joseph Caplan, a cardiologist on staff with Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center, said this approval is a good step forward in the prevention of heart disease, the nation’s No. 1 killer, claiming nearly 1 million American lives each year.

"This approval is a further evolution of the science to reduce cholesterol and stabilization of plaque, even in its earliest form, which reduces cardiac events and mortality," Caplan said.

The FDA said Crestor’s use in this indication is for men 50 years or older and women 60 years or older with an elevated amount of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in their blood and at least one additional cardiac risk factor, such as smoking, high blood pressure, a family history of heart disease or high LDL cholesterol, the agency said.

Crestor is already approved for use in combination with diet and exercise to lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.