Popular Statin Drug Reduces Signs of Heart Disease

March 13, 2006 — -- Dr. Christopher Cannon, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said that his patients often ask him if there is anything they can do to shrink the blockages in their heart arteries.

"Until now, the answer was no, but now for the first time we can say yes," he said.

Cannon was referring to a new study released today that shows Crestor, one of the popular statin drugs that lowers cholesterol, could actually shrink plaque that builds up in heart arteries. This finding has implications for millions of Americans who suffer from coronary artery disease, although it's too early for the research to lead to immediate changes in treatment guidelines.

What is the difference between Crestor and other commonly used statins, such as Lipitor and Zocor? "The difference is the potency," Cannon said. Forty milligrams of Crestor works better at lowering LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, than 80 milligrams of Lipitor. The study also found that taking Crestor significantly increases HDL, or "good" cholesterol, a finding that was not seen with other statins.

With Crestor, though, the most telling difference was the changes in the plaque that lined the heart's arteries; plaque lining the areteries was previously thought to be an irreversible cause of heart disease.

Using ultrasound, the researchers measured the size of the plaque before and after two years of high-dose Crestor therapy. They found reductions in plaque buildup, also known as atherosclerosis, in 64 percent of the 500 patients in the study.

Atherosclerosis has conventionally been viewed as a progressive disease, for which even the most effective therapies merely slow its advancement.

Many cardiologists are enthusiatic about the Crestor results.

"We finally have well-tolerated tools in our toolbox, such as Crestor, to drive cholesterol levels safely into the physiologic range," said Dr. Daniel Edmundowicz, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

The results certainly appear promising, but some primary care doctors have reservations.