AstrZeneca gets OK for expanded Crestor use

(AP) — Federal regulators have granted AstraZeneca approval to market its cholesterol pill Crestor as a preventive measure against heart attack and stroke in patients with healthy cholesterol levels.

The Food and Drug Administration's decision will allow the company to promote Crestor to millions of U.S. patients who traditionally have not been candidates for cholesterol-lowering drugs.

The agency posted a briefing on the approval to its Web site late Monday.

The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker justified the new use with a much-heralded 2008 study, showing Crestor reduced heart attack, stroke and other problems by 44 percent in patients with normal cholesterol and slight heart disease risks.