New study reinforces the differentiating benefits of AstraZeneca's Crestor

Data presented yesterday at the 2012 European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) Congress in Milan, Italy, from the VOYAGER study demonstrate the benefits of aggressive statin therapy with Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca’s (LSE: AZN) blockbuster cholesterol lowerer Crestor (rosuvastatin) in comparison to atorvastatin and simvastatin in high risk patients.

Crestor is AstraZeneca’s biggest selling drug, with first-quarter revenues up 2% to $1.5 billion for the first quarter of this year, remaining resilient in a market post generic Lipitor (atorvastatin), the all time blockbuster drug from Pfizer which lost US patent protection last November. For the most recent 12 months ending September 30, 2011, Lipitor had US sales of around $7.89 billion, according to IMS Health data.

VOYAGER is an individual patient data meta-analysis of 32 258 patients from 37 randomized studies, comparing the effects of statin therapy with Crestor to that of atorvastatin and simvastatin.