AstraZeneca's Crestor Fails to Best Lipitor in Study

According to trial results announced recently, Crestor, the statin drug from AstraZeneca, failed to best Lipitor at clearing clogged arteries.

According to trial results announced recently, Crestor, the statin drug from AstraZeneca, failed to best Lipitor at clearing clogged arteries, at least in a statistically significant way.

Crestor is generally regarded as the statin most effective in harder-to-treat patients, analysts say. But garden-variety patients who might otherwise have used Crestor might turn to Lipitor instead, especially as budget-conscious payers raise co-pays.

The study, dubbed Saturn, was a calculated risk on AstraZeneca's part when it launched several years ago. AstraZeneca garnered $5.6 billion from Crestor sales last year, so pharma-watchers have been eagerly awaiting the Saturn results.