Abstract
Rosuvastatin is the latest member of the drug class of statins to have been introduced to our market. Of the available statins, it works best at decreasing the LDL cholesterol – at a maximum dose, it has a slightly higher effect than the so far most effective atorvastatin; it also increases the HDL cholesterol significantly more compared to the other statins.
In terms of treatment safety, it is of importance that rosuvastatin is not metabolized by cytochrome P450 and is therefore associated with a lower risk of drug interactions. The efficacy and safety of rosuvastatin have been tested in several clinical studies that showed regression of atherosclerosis as well as a reduced risk of cardiovascular events.
Apparently, rosuvastatin will mainly be used in the treatment of patients with severe hypercholesterolemia and high cardiovascular risk who have failed to reach the target LDL cholesterol levels with other treatments.