
What is Crestor?
Crestor, commonly referred to as a statin, was developed by AstraZeneca, and is prescribed to lower “bad” cholesterol and triglycerides and raise “good” cholesterol in the blood.
A consumer group, Public Citizen, filed a petition March 2004 with the FDA to remove the drug from the market. AstraZeneca halted clinical trials of Crestor after reports of kidney damage and muscle weakness (early states of rhabdomyolysis) in clinical trials in patients taking 80 milligrams of the drug per day. There were seven cases of rhabdomyolysis in patients receiving Crestor (rosuvastatin) before its approval. All were receiving a dose of 80 milligrams, which was not approved by the FDA, but as Public Citizen remarked, “a small patient getting even the 40 milligram dose might be receiving the same amount of drug per pound of body weight and we were concerned that cases would occur at this 40 milligram dose or even lower doses.”
Serious side effects from the usage of Crestor may include liver damage, liver failure, severe muscle damage/deterioration, kidney failure, kidney damage, other organ failure and/or death. Physical signs or symptoms of adverse reactions include but are not limited to muscle weakness, muscle tenderness, malaise, fever, dark urine, nausea or vomiting.
AstraZeneca asserts that Crestor is safe, and that serious side-effects are very rare, with rhabdomyolysis occurring at a rate of less than 1 case per 10,000 users. Nevertheless, many law firms are considering filing a class action lawsuit against AstaZeneca. If you take the drug and have suffered any of the serious side effects above, contact a lawyer immediately.