Dr. Christopher Cannon, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said that his patients often ask him if there is anything they can do to shrink the blockages in their heart arteries.
"Until now, the answer was no, but now for the first time we can say yes," he said.
Cannon was referring to a new study released today that shows Crestor, one of the popular statin drugs that lowers cholesterol, could actually shrink plaque that builds up in heart arteries. This finding has implications for millions of Americans who suffer from coronary artery disease, although it's too early for the research to lead to immediate changes in treatment guidelines.
What is the difference between Crestor and other commonly used statins, such as Lipitor and Zocor? "The difference is the potency," Cannon said. Forty milligrams of Crestor works better at lowering LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, than 80 milligrams of Lipitor. The study also found that taking Crestor significantly increases HDL, or "good" cholesterol, a finding that was not seen with statins.
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