Professor of Medicine and Public Health Sciences Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA. jrcrouse@wfubmc.edu
BACKGROUND: The HMG Co-A reductase inhibitors (statins) are the most efficacious agents for lowering cholesterol. Statins reduce clinical cardiovascular events and are generally well tolerated. OBJECTIVE: To review the efficacy and safety of rosuvastatin, the newest and most potent of the approved statins. METHODS: A comprehensive (PubMed) search was performed to identify relevant publications up to May 2007. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Rosuvastatin reduces LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) by up to 50%, and by 70% when combined with ezetimibe. Rosuvastatin also reduces plasma triglycerides and increases HDL-C, and slows atherosclerosis progression in coronary and carotid arteries in both low-risk and high-risk individuals. Tolerability is comparable with other statins. Clinical trials to evaluate cardiovascular outcomes have recently been published (CORONA) or are underway.