Concerns : There is growing evidence of weak benefits along with serious problems with rosuvastatin although it is the best statin for lowering cholesterol , says Dr Sidney Wolfe . A powerful statin carries a high rate of harmful side-effects including an increased risk of diabetes , a leading campaigner warns today . There is growing evidence of weak benefits along with serious problems with rosuvastatin although it is the best statin for lowering cholesterol , says Dr Sidney Wolfe . He is the founder and senior adviser to the US civil rights body Public Citizen ’ s Health Research Group , which attempted to get the drug banned ten years ago because of muscle and kidney problems . Since then , evidence had continued to mount about the drug ’ s poor benefits , he claims . British experts have said statins are safe and effective , with protection against heart attacks outweighing possible side-effects . One has reassured patients on rosuvastatin , saying they should continue taking it . Statins are the most commonly prescribed group of drugs in the NHS and given to between eight and ten million adults . They include those with cardiac disease or at risk of a heart attack or stroke . Initial approval of rosuvastatin to prevent heart attacks in a very select group of people was based on a study which was stopped early , says Dr Wolfe . This led to concern that the effects may have been over-estimated , he adds in an editorial in The BMJ medical journal . A review of trials showed that the drug , also known as Crestor , was linked to a 25 per cent extra risk of diabetes compared with a placebo , he says . Crestor was the most prescribed brand name drug in the US last year and accounts for around four per cent of NHS prescriptions for statins . Professor Peter Weissberg , medical director at the British Heart Foundation , said : ‘ Patients taking rosuvastatin should not stop taking it . They are on it for a very good reason . Statins are the most commonly prescribed group of drugs in the NHS and given to between eight and ten million adults . ‘ This opinion piece raises more questions about pharmaceutical marketing and prescribing practices in the US than the safety and use of statins in general . ‘ Rosuvastatin is more expensive than other statins and is one of the least commonly prescribed in the UK . 'It is generally prescribed for a small number of people at high risk of a heart attack or stroke and who can not tolerate the older statins or have not had the desired reduction in cholesterol levels on them. ’ Dr Wolfe adds that worldwide 2013 sales of the medicine were £5.5billion , the third highest for any branded drug . He accuses advertising campaigns of exploiting its potency despite ‘ long-standing , continuing evidence of rosuvastatin ’ s comparative lack of clinical benefits and increasing evidence of risk ’ . The drug ’ s patent expires in 2016 and he expresses hope this would lead to a sharp decline in its use . The NHS estimates statins save 7,000 lives a year . A spokesman for the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said : ‘ They are safe and effective , and play an important role . People should continue to take their medicines as prescribed. ’ A senior doctor took a statin for two years despite being at low risk and developed crippling muscle pain . But Dr Kailash Chand , a GP and deputy chairman of the British Medical Association , did not make any link at first . Hospital tests , X-rays and an MRI scan all came back clear . Senior doctor : Dr Kailash Chand , a GP and deputy chairman of the British Medical Association , took a statin for two years despite being at low risk and developed crippling muscle pain . He said : ‘ I thought it was worth seeing what would happen if I stopped taking the drug . Within two to three weeks , my back and legs began to feel a lot better and my sleep improved . ‘ Statins have an important role for patients who already have heart disease . But we must take much more care about prescribing them to low-risk patients . I was healthy and I became unhealthy. ’ London cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra said the side-effects of statins have been downplayed . ‘ To think that taking a drug that drastically reduces one ’ s cholesterol will have no other potential adverse effect is not just lazy medicine , it ’ s bad science , ’ he added .
Rosuvastatin has a high incidence of harmful side - effects , campaigner claims . Dr Sidney Wolfe says there is evidence of weak benefits and problems . Statins are the most commonly prescribed group of medications in the NHS . patients claim protection against heart attacks outweighs side - effects .