Pharma Blog Watch

Crestor Trial Data Not Significant (Pharmalot)
In his blog, Ed Silverman writes about an analyst note discussing results of a trial of AstraZeneca's Crestor that showed that the drug didn't reduce plaque buildup in the carotid artery.

The analyst "drew her conclusions on an abstract of AstraZeneca's METEOR trial, which measured plaque buildup in the carotid artery in asymptomatic patients with high cholesterol who were at low risk of heart disease," he writes. "Previous Crestor studies in patients with more serious atherosclerosis, or arterial plaque buildup, had shown good regression."

"The results, which are supposed to be released formally at the American College of Cardiology meeting starting next Saturday, March 24, in New Orleans, are particularly good news for AstraZeneca's rivals: Merck and Schering-Plough."