AstraZeneca didn't get its coveted results from the long-awaited CORONA trial. Crestor failed to show any statistically significant benefit in heart failure patients. So Crestor lacks a competitive edge enjoyed by rival Lipitor and generic statins: Trials that show a clear reduction in deaths and heart disease.
It was a long shot, really; heart failure isn't generally considered to be relieved by statins like Crestor. But AZ wanted something different from the old, tried-and-true data that shows the drugs stave off complications from heart disease. A head-to-head trial against Lipitor would have cost beaucoups, and it would have been risky to boot. What if Lipitor had come out ahead?
- take a look at AstraZeneca's press release
- read the analysis from The Wall Street Journal
- read the Hemscott report
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