The story mentions the daily cost of Crestor as well as the CRP test. The story does not adequately quantify the benefits of statins. The story uses language that makes the benefit appear larger than it is. By not presenting the rate of VTE in the study population, the story does not give the reader the adequate context to understand these numbers. In this study, the rate of VTE was 18 per 10,000 in the statin group versus 32 per 10,000 in the placebo group. The story does not adequately describe the harms or side effects of Crestor. The story mentions muscle problems and bleeding as potential harms, but does not mention kidney problems as a potential serious harm and the many side effects people experience, such as constipation and nausea. Interestingly, the subjects treated with Crestor had a small but statistically significant increase in diabetes seen during the trial. The story adequately describes the current study, however there are a few subtle points that are important to note. The story could have mentioned that VTE was not the primary endpoint of the original trial and that the population studied was not exactly healthy. 41% suffered from a condition known as metabolic syndrome (a condition that increases the risk of blood clots). So extrapolating the results of this single study to the general population is a bit of a stretch. The story doesn’t exaggerate the seriousness or prevalence of venous thromboembolism (VTE). The story quotes multiple experts and indicates which experts were related to the study or not, and notes potential conflicts of interest. The story indicates that many doctors believe that other statins other than Crestor may provide similar benefits. Clearly Crestor is widely available. Whether the CRP test is also widely available is not clear. Using statins to treat inflammation is not a new idea and the story portrays it appropriately. Since the story quotes multiple experts, the reader can assume the story did not rely on a press release as the sole source of information.
Study: Cholesterol drug lowers blood clot risk