statin

AstraZeneca shares surged by almost 9% Tuesday after the company scored a win in court regarding the patent for its cholesterol treatment, Crestor. The ruling means that AstraZeneca won't have to worry about generic competition for its multibillion-dollar statin until 2016.

Earlier this week, AstraZeneca's widely used cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in people with normal cholesterol to prevent heart attacks and strokes. The approval could lead to a much bigger market for Crestor, but has also led to a number of critics questioning the decision.

AstraZeneca scored a win on Tuesday, when a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended broader use of Crestor, the company's cholesterol-lowering drug. The panel recommended that those with low cholesterol use the drug, following studies finding that Crestor reduces the risk of heart disease even in those with normal cholesterol levels.

You hear a lot about drug prices going up and up, but consider the case of Ann Stewart of Mattapan, Mass., who faced a price of $146 for her diabetes medicine. After a transfer of prescriptions, she's now paying $4. And then there's financially strapped Glenn Funchess, a cancer patient in...