Cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor also helps with vein clots

Researchers have established, for the first time, that cholesterol-lowering drugs like, Crestor, can lower the danger of deep vein thrombosis, that are induced by potentially deadly blood clots that start in the veins and move to the lungs.

The proof, released Sunday, is the latest to come out from the groundbreaking JUPITER trial, which established that statin treatments can cut in half the danger of heart attacks and strokes even in people with normal cholesterol levels.

In the report, Crestor cut in half the danger of blood clots in those with low cholesterol but high scores on a test for inflammation, which plays a role in numerous diseases. This same big study last fall showed that Crestor dramatically brought down rates of heart attacks, death and stroke in people, who are not generally given statins now.

Both reports are supported by data from the landmark JUPITER trial, sponsored by the drug maker AstraZeneca, which markets Crestor (rosuvastatin). The first trial is being printed early in the April 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, while the second will appear in an upcoming issue of The Lancet.

Further results from this analysis established patients who reached an LDL-C <70 mg/dL experienced a 55% decrease in cardiovascular ocurances compared to placebo and that the patients who achieved a dual treatment target of LDL-C<70 mg/dL and hsCRP <1 mg/L achieved a 79% reduction in CV events compared to placebo. Rosuvastatin 20mg was well supported in almost 9,000 patients throughout the course of the JUPITER study, the company stated.