Statin safety: an appraisal from the adverse event reporting system

The adverse event (AE) profiles of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor (statin) agents are of great interest, in particular the most recently approved statin, rosuvastatin. The forwarding of reports of AEs has been shown to be influenced by several reporting biases, including secular trend, the new drug reporting effect, product withdrawals, and publicity. Comparative assessments that use AE reporting rates are difficult to interpret under these circumstances, because such effects can themselves lead to marked increases in AE reporting. Consequently, many comparative reporting rate analyses are best carried out in conjunction with other metrics that put reporting burden into context, such as report proportion. All-AE reporting rates showed a temporal profile that resembled those of other statins when marketing cycle and secular trend were taken into account. A before-and-after cerivastatin withdrawal comparison showed a substantial increase in the reporting of AEs of interest for the statin class overall. Report proportion analyses indicated that the burden of rosuvastatin-associated AEs was similar to that for other statin agents. Analyses of monthly reporting rates showed that the reporting of rosuvastatin-associated rhabdomyolysis and renal failure have increased following AE-specific mass media publicity. Postrosuvastatin AE reporting patterns were comparable to those seen with other statins and did not resemble cerivastatin.