Important Safety Information
Online SamplingPatient Support
Supporting your at-risk patients with their treatment plan is another way AstraZeneca can help you redefine success. This section contains educational materials, support programs, and money-saving offers to help your patients understand the importance of managing cholesterol and slowing the progression of atherosclerosis.
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Interactive Tools
Access a suite of tools, including a Meal Planner and a Diet and Exercise Diary, to help engage at-risk patients. You can also e-mail these tools directly to your patients.
> Access interactive tools
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Patient Support Programs
AstraZeneca has created several programs to help your at-risk patients understand the importance of managing cholesterol and slowing the progression of atherosclerosis. Find out more about the CRESTOR 360°TM Patient Support Program and the Take Action Kit.
> See patient support programs
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Money-saving Offers
AstraZeneca understands that, at times, the help patients need most is financial. We have created several programs and rebates to help ease the financial burden of taking prescription medications.
> Find money-saving offers
Important Safety Information for CRESTOR Tablets
- CRESTOR is contraindicated in patients with a known hypersensitivity to any component of this product, in patients with active liver disease, which may include unexplained persistent elevations of hepatic transaminase levels, in women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, and in nursing mothers
- Cases of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis with acute renal failure secondary to myoglobinuria have been reported with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, including CRESTOR. These risks can occur at any dose level but are increased at the highest dose (40 mg)
- CRESTOR should be prescribed with caution in patients with predisposing factors for myopathy (eg, age ≥65 years, inadequately treated hypothyroidism, renal impairment). The risk of myopathy during treatment with CRESTOR may be increased with concurrent administration of some other lipid-lowering therapies (fibrates or niacin), gemfibrozil, cyclosporine, lopinavir/ritonavir, or atazanavir/ritonavir
- Therapy with CRESTOR should be discontinued if markedly elevated CK levels occur or myopathy is diagnosed or suspected. All patients should be advised to promptly report unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, particularly if accompanied by malaise or fever
- It is recommended that liver enzyme tests be performed before and at 12 weeks following both the initiation of therapy and any elevation of dose, and periodically (eg, semiannually) thereafter. Should an increase in ALT or AST of >3 times ULN persist, reduction of dose or withdrawal of CRESTOR is recommended
- CRESTOR should be used with caution in patients who consume substantial quantities of alcohol and/or have a history of chronic liver disease
- CRESTOR significantly increased INR in patients receiving coumarin anticoagulants. In patients taking coumarin anticoagulants and CRESTOR concomitantly, INR should be determined before starting CRESTOR and frequently enough during early therapy to ensure that no significant alteration of INR occurs
- Dipstick-positive proteinuria and microscopic hematuria were observed among patients treated with CRESTOR. These findings were more frequent in patients taking CRESTOR 40 mg, though it was generally transient and was not associated with worsening renal function. Although the clinical significance of this finding is unknown, dose reduction should be considered for patients on CRESTOR therapy with unexplained persistent proteinuria and/or hematuria during routine urinalysis testing
- Increases in HbA1c and fasting serum glucose levels have been reported with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, including CRESTOR
- In the controlled clinical trials database, the most common adverse reactions were headache (3.7%), myalgia (3.1%), abdominal pain (2.6%), asthenia (2.5%), and nausea (2.2%)#‡‡
- The dose range for CRESTOR is 5 mg to 40 mg orally once daily. The usual starting dose is 10 mg to 20 mg. Patients initiating CRESTOR therapy or switching from another statin should begin treatment with CRESTOR at the appropriate starting dose. After initiation or upon titration of CRESTOR, lipid levels should be analyzed within 2 to 4 weeks and the dosage adjusted accordingly. CRESTOR 40 mg should be used only for those patients not achieving their LDL-C goal with 20 mg
Indications
- CRESTOR is indicated as an adjunct to diet to reduce elevated Total-C, LDL-C, ApoB, non-HDL-C, and triglycerides, and to increase HDL-C in adult patients with primary hyperlipidemia or mixed dyslipidemia and to slow the progression of atherosclerosis in adult patients as part of a treatment strategy to lower Total-C and LDL-C to target levels
- CRESTOR is indicated to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and arterial revascularization procedures in patients without clinically evident coronary heart disease but with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) based on age (men ≥50 and women ≥60), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) ≥2 mg/L, and the presence of at least one additional CVD risk factor, such as hypertension, low HDL-C, smoking, or a family history of premature coronary heart disease
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CRESTOR is licensed from SHIONOGI & CO, LTD, Osaka, Japan.
CRESTOR is a registered trademark, and CRESTOR 360˚ is a trademark of the AstraZeneca group of companies.
©2011 AstraZeneca. All rights reserved. 1482202 12
This product information is intended for US health care professionals only.
