AstraZeneca reveals positive benefit of atherosclerosis in study

AstraZeneca has announced that its Crestor treatment has shown a positive effect on atherosclerosis in patients with early signs of carotid artery disease in clinical trials.

The company presented the findings from its Meteor trial at the American College of Cardiology’s 56th annual Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, claiming that the data showed a much slower rate of atherosclerosis progression in patients receiving a 40mg rosuvastatin dose when measured against a placebo group.

The study found that in patients with relatively high increased LDL receiving rosuvastatin showed a 0.0014 millimetres per year decrease in the mean maximum carotid intima-media thickness, compared to a progression of 0.0131 millimetres per year in the placebo group.

“It’s exciting to see that by using rosuvastatin we can potentially slow or even stop the disease progression in people with relatively modest atherosclerosis,” said lead investigator on the Meteor study John R Crouse.

Meteor (Measuring Effects on intima media Thickness: an Evaluation Of Rosuvastatin) was a 24-month randomised international study to consider the effects of Crestor in 984 asymptomatic, hypercholesterolaemic patients at low risk of coronary heart disease.

AstraZeneca filed regulatory submissions for Crestor, including the Meteor data and data from other trials, to authorities in the European Union and the United States in January this year.