Pfizer Hopes to Sell Lipitor Over the Counter

But FDA is leery about letting people use statins on their own
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 3, 2011 6:40 PM CDT
Pfizer Hopes to Sell Lipitor Over the Counter
Lipitor tablets sit in a tray at a pharmacy in this file photo.   (Getty Images)

Pfizer hopes to sell an over-the-counter version of its popular cholesterol drug Lipitor, the Wall Street Journal reports. But first it will have to convince a skeptical FDA, which is wary about letting people use such statins without a doctor's supervision. Pfizer loses the patent on Lipitor in November, and an OTC version would help limit the financial pain. The OTC Lipitor would probably sell for much less than the current $4 to $5 a pill. (More Pfizer stories.)

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