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Battle Brews in Pharma's Market

Pfizer launches attack on generic drug that threatens Lipitor's dominance

By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 3, 2007 6:43 PM CDT

(Newser) – Pfizer is trying to stave off its own heart attack now that its flagship cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor faces stiff competition from a cheaper generic. Lipitor is still patent-protected, but a very similar drug called Zocor isn't, and since a generic version called simvastatin hit the market, many doctors and insurers are steering patients away from Lipitor to the cheaper alternative, the New York Times says.

Pfizer isn’t taking it quietly. The company, whose stock price has tumbled to record lows, launched an advertising and lobbying campaign and has been touting a controversial British study that found a 30% increase in cardiac risks for patients who switched from Lipitor to the generic drug. Still, analysts are skeptical that Pfizer will be able to snuff out simvastatin, which costs $2/day less than Lipitor.

New Study On Statins (ZOCOR) MAy Reduce Risk Of Cancer
New Study On Statins (ZOCOR) MAy Reduce Risk Of Cancer   (Getty Images)
Dr. Nicolas Abourizk, of West Hartford, and Joleen Richard, of Bolton, Connecticut, are shown during an interview at the diabetes care center at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut, in June
Dr. Nicolas Abourizk, of West Hartford, and Joleen Richard, of Bolton, Connecticut, are shown during an interview at the diabetes care center at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut, in June   (KRT Photos)
This image received 05 June 2007 shows the logo for Pfizer. Nigeria...
This image received 05 June 2007 shows the logo for Pfizer. Nigeria...   (Getty Images (by Event))
The world headquarters of Pfizer Inc. is shown in this April 12, 2005, file photo in New York.  Pfizer Inc., the world's largest pharmaceutical company, said Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007 its third-quarter profit plunged due to a $2.8 billion pretax charge to end investment in inhaled insulin drug Exubera,...
The world headquarters of Pfizer Inc. is shown in this April 12, 2005, file photo in New York. Pfizer Inc., the world's largest pharmaceutical company, said Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007 its third-quarter...   (Associated Press)
Forty-milligram tablets of the drug Lipitor are photographed in Glen Rock, N.J. in a file photo from Nov. 15, 2005. Drug makers Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp. said Monday, March 26, 2007 they will begin developing a cholesterol therapy combining Pfizer Inc.'s best-selling drug Lipitor with a...
Forty-milligram tablets of the drug Lipitor are photographed in Glen Rock, N.J. in a file photo from Nov. 15, 2005. Drug makers Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp. said Monday, March 26, 2007 they will...   (Associated Press)
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