Rosuvastatin (Molecule of the Month for May 2017)
Crestor
Rosuvastatin is a member of the drug class of statins, used in combination with exercise, diet, and weight-loss to treat high cholesterol and related conditions, and to prevent cardiovascular disease. It was developed by Shionogi. Rosuvastatin is approved in the United States for the treatment of high LDL cholesterol (dyslipidemia), total cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia), and/or triglycerides (hypertriglyceridemia). In February 2010, rosuvastatin was approved by the FDA for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events In 2013 Crestor was the fourth-highest selling drug in the United States, accounting for approx. $5.2 billion in sales. A generic version became available in the United States in 2016.
The primary use of rosuvastatin is for the treatment of dyslipidemia. Dyslipidemia is an abnormal amount of lipids (e.g. triglycerides, cholesterol and/or fat phospholipids) in the blood. In developed countries, most dyslipidemias are hyperlipidemias; that is, an elevation of lipids in the blood. This is often due to diet and lifestyle.
Rosuvastatin is a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, having a mechanism of action similar to that of other statins. Drugs that inhibit HMG-CoA reductase, known collectively as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (or "statins"), are used to lower serum cholesterol as a means of reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease. Since the reaction catalysed by HMG-CoA reductase is the rate-limiting step in cholesterol synthesis, this enzyme represents the sole major drug target for contemporary cholesterol-lowering drugs in humans. The medical significance of HMG-CoA reductase has continued to expand beyond its direct role in cholesterol synthesis following the discovery that statins can offer cardiovascular health benefits independent of cholesterol reduction.
Formal Chemical Name (IUPAC)
(3R,5R,E)-7-(4-(4-fluorophenyl)-6-isopropyl-2-(N-methylmethylsulfonamido)pyrimidin-5-yl)-3,5-dihydroxyhept-6-enoic acid
References
Update by Karl Harrison
(Molecule of the Month for
May 2017
)
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