Winners: Lipitor (Pfizer) and Crestor (Astra Zeneca)
Statins for treating high cholesterol are the best selling drugs in the U.S. , with over $16 billion in 2005 sales. They are also one of the most competitive classes of drugs, with seven drugs competing for more than 140 million annual prescriptions in the U.S. The enormous potential market for these drugs, which patients take (and pay for) for years, has caused our award winners to significantly overpromote their drugs.
The most expensive Lipitor Crestor brand-name statins are important primarily for people who already have heart disease or who are at serious risk of developing heart disease (smokers, people who are obese, diabetics). Yet millions of people who have only elevated cholesterol are taking these expensive brand-name statins drugs every day, often Lipitor Crestor at great expense.
The marketing campaigns for Lipitor and Crestor have created the impression that anyone and everyone with even slightly high cholesterol needs them. This marketing gives short shrift to the much cheaper but effective generic statins, as well as to lifestyle changes, such as better diet and more exercise, that should be the first line of treatment for millions of people who have high cholesterol but no other major risk factors.
Like most so-called "me-too" drugs, there are no significant advantages for most patients from taking one statin over another. A meta-analysis of clinical trials of three different statins - Pravachol, Zocor and Lipitor - found that all three had similar cholesterol-lowering results, and that there was no statistically Lipitor Crestor significant difference in their reduction in fatal coronary heart disease or nonfatal heart attacks. The FDA just approved a generic version of Pravachol, and a generic version of Zocor is expected to become available later this year.
Rather than focusing on the genuinely at-risk patients who really do need these particular statins, Pfizer and AstraZeneca have engaged in enormously broad promotional campaigns that have made Lipitor the bestselling statin in the U.S. and Crestor the 4 th bestselling. Meanwhile, many patients who would genuinely benefit from them are not taking them, in part because of their high cost.
Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs recommends a generic statin, lovastatin, for patients who need to reduce their "bad" LDL cholesterol by less than 30%. Yet millions of people for whom this generic would work fine are taking Lipitor and Crestor, due to the aggressive marketing campaigns. Statins vary widely in price, from about $33 a month for generics (about $1 a day) to $162 a month for the highest-priced brand-names Lipitor Crestor ($5.33 a day). The additional cost of a high-price brand-name statin adds up and can be a significant burden, particularly for low-income people and seniors on fixed incomes.
Pfizer recently launched an aggressive new ad campaign for Lipitor featuring Dr. Robert Jarvik, creator of the artificial heart. The new ad, like virtually all drug ads, does not distinguish between those who need Lipitor and those would do fine on a cheaper generic.
In rare cases, Crestor can cause a condition that results in the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue. This condition Lipitor Crestor can lead to kidney failure, and may be more likely to occur in older adults and in people of Asian descent. Call your doctor at once if you have unexplained muscle pain or tenderness, muscle weakness, fever or flu symptoms, and dark colored urine. This medication can cause birth defects in an unborn baby. Do not use if you are pregnant. Use an effective form Lipitor Crestor of birth control, and tell your crestor doctor if you become pregnant during treatment. Do not take this medication if you are allergic to Crestor or if you have liver disease. Avoid drinking alcohol while taking this medication. Alcohol can increase triglyceride levels, and may also damage your liver while you are taking Crestor.
How does Crestor work?
Crestor works directly in the liver. Crestor inhibits an enzyme that is present in the liver which is necessary to manufacture the bad cholesterol (LDL).
By inhibiting or blocking the action of this liver enzyme, your body's ability to produce cholesterol is dramatically reduced. As an added Lipitor Crestor benefit, Crestor elevates HDL levels.
If you have liver problems such as cirrhosis of the liver, Crestor may not be a good drug for you. For this reason, your doctor will test your liver's function to evaluate if Crestor therapy is appropriate for you.
It is recommended that liver Lipitor Crestor function tests be performed before someone begins Crestor therapy and at 12 weeks following both the initiation of therapy and any elevation of dose, and periodically (e.g., semiannually) thereafter.
This is done with as simple blood test. In most cases, people with vastly elevated liver enzymes should Lipitor Crestor stop taking Crestor or other statin drugs.
The normal starting dose of Crestor is 10mg per day. The maximum dose of Crestor is 40 mg per day.
Crestor therapy usually starts with a 10mg dose. Sometimes the doctor willstart with a 20mg dose. The 40mg Lipitor Crestor dose is reserved for people who are on 20mg but still are crestor side effects not meeting their cholesterol goals.
Crestor's labeling contains comparisons to Lipitor. (Crestor label shows that it is slightly more effective than Lipitor in reducing LDL's). Crestor increases HDL's very nicely.
Some cardiologists call Crestor "the Gorilla" statin. They claim that Crestor is intrinsically much more effective than Lipitor, but this is a matter of controversy.
