A pioneer clinical study conducted by Meteor revealed use of Crestor (Rosuvastatin) has a positive effect on Atherosclerosis in people with early signs of artery disease and at low risk of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). The trial shows that Crestor (Rosuvastatin) slows down the progression of Atherosclerosis in people at low risk of Coronary Artery Disease.

Deposits of fatty substances (lipoproteins) or fibrous along the artery wall leads to formation of plaques, these plaques thicken the artery wall, lowers the elasticity of the arteries and narrows down the artery passage and as a result, reduces the blood flow to vital organs, this condition is termed as Atherosclerosis. It is also referred as hardening or furring of the arteries. Sometimes these plaques can rupture and block the artery as such leading to thrombus formation, this can sudden stoppage of blood flow to vital organs. If it blocks the blood flow to brain, it can cause stroke, similarly in heart it leads to heart attack. Atherosclerosis causes many cardiovascular diseases.

The clinical study was conducted using Crestor Rosuvastatin 40mg. The results obtained showed significant slow down in progression of atherosclerosis in patients when compared to placebo. Significant progression versus baseline was observed in placebo arm; where as no significant progression versus baseline was observed in rosuvastatin arm over two years of study.

Subjects who had moderately high level of LDL and no established atherosclerosis showed decrease of intima-media thickness by 0.0014/yr with use of rosuvastatin 40 mg, Compared to progression of 0.0131/yr in placebo patients. This clearly reveals reduction in atherosclerotic burden with use of rosuvastatin 40 mg.

It is 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 John R. Crouse, III, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Public Health Sciences and Associate Director of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine (WFUSM) General Clinical Research Centre. METEOR provides evidence that the effect of rosuvastatin on dyslipidaemia translates into a beneficial effect on the progression of atherosclerosis.

With completion of this study, CRESTOR has now been studied across the atherosclerosis disease spectrum, first with ASTEROID, which included patients with established coronary artery disease and at a high risk of CHD events and now with METEOR, which evaluated CRESTOR in asymptomatic subjects with early disease and at low CHD risk

Crestor currently is used to treat lipid disorders. Now with this wealth of data, Crestor has received approvals in 90 countries and over 9 million patients have been prescribed Crestor worldwide