FDA adds new safety information to statin drugs
WASHINGTON—Federal health officials are adding new safety warnings about risks of memory loss and elevated blood sugar to statins, a widely prescribed group of cholesterol-lowering medications.
The Food and Drug Administration announced several labeling changes to medicines like Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor.
Labeling on all such drugs will warn of memory loss and confusion reported among certain patients taking statins. The problems were generally not serious and went away after patients stopped taking the drugs, according to the FDA.
The updated labels will also mention elevated levels of blood sugar reported in some patients taking statins.
Statins are mainly prescribed to prevent heart attacks in people with clogged arteries and work by dramatically lowering LDL or "bad cholesterol." They were the third best-selling drug class in the U.S. for 2010.
