Cholesterol Drugs Have Increased Diabetes Risk, FDA Says

Cholesterol-lowering statins such as Pfizer Inc.’s best-selling Lipitor will carry a warning about an increase in blood-sugar levels in patients, leading to a greater risk of diabetes, U.S. regulators said.

At the same time, the Food and Drug Administration today removed the need to monitor patients’ livers, saying serious liver injury is “rare” with statins including AstraZeneca Plc’s Crestor and Merck & Co.’s Zocor. The drugs also are tied to memory loss and confusion that is reversed when they are stopped, the FDA said in a statement.