AstraZeneca gets Crestor boost

AstraZeneca has revealed that trials on its anti-cholesterol drug Crestor have produced positive, groundbreaking results.

According to Reuters, the company has said that two years treatment with Crestor can reverse plaque build up in the arteries.

“This is the first time a statin has demonstrated regression of atherosclerosis in a major clinical study,” the company said, according to Reuters.

The news from the trial will be presented fully at the American College of Cardiology in Atlanta, where the criticisms of Crestor ? namely that it causes a weakening of the heart ? should be rejected.

Despite initial high hopes for Crestor, AstraZeneca found that sales of the drug last year reached just $1.27 billion, according to Reuters, way below the $3-4 billion that the company had predicted the drug would make each year.

The drug is a rival to the Pfizer offering Lipitor, which has estimated sales of approximately $12 billion a year.

© Adfero Ltd