Physicians Anticipate Higher Prescribing Based on JUP...( SAN MATEO Calif. Nov. 21 /- Just thre...),Health

SAN MATEO, Calif., Nov. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Just three days after the JUPITER trial results were presented at the American Heart Association meeting and simultaneously published online by the New England Journal of Medicine, an AlphaDetail survey of more than 100 primary care physicians shows that physicians anticipate a 14% increase in the use of drug therapy among their hypercholesterolemia patients, particularly for low to moderate risk patients.

The JUPITER study showed that CRESTOR (rosuvastatin calcium) 20 mg significantly reduced major cardiovascular (CV) events by 44% compared with placebo among men and women with elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) but low to normal low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).

News about JUPITER spread quickly: Two-thirds of the physicians surveyed were already aware of the study results within days of its release. Nearly 90% of the physicians surveyed report that they found the study results to be positive, emphasizing how compelling they found the findings. However, some physicians feel more data is needed and question if this benefit applies to all statins or is specific to CRESTOR.

Physicians report that they recognize the value of C-reactive protein. Two-fifths of physicians indicate that they strongly or very strongly agree that hs-CRP plays an important role in cardiovascular disease. The most intriguing part of the 2008 study lies in physicians future expectations. Following the JUPITER study results, physicians report that they anticipate more than doubling the percent of patients for whom they test hs-CRP. The increased testing is likely to drive future prescribing behavior, particularly for patients with low to moderate risk factors.

Please contact Bob Latshaw at AlphaDetail for more information on the AlphaPulse study results or for additional insight regarding the market impact of the JUPITER study.

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