Lipitor Articles

Lipitor May Soon Lose Its Market Share to Generics

15 November 2006

Pfizer’s blockbuster medicine Lipitor patent soon expires. The question now is can Pfizer's big brands stand up to generic competition while the US markets seeks cheaper alternatives? Lipitor has already been removed from a drug managers list of preferred drugs said a report in Financial Times in London.

Since the take over of Lipitor by Pfizer, the pharmaceutical giant turned the statin into an all time biggest blockbuster. When Lipitor hit the market in 1997, there was already considerable awareness amongst the Americans about bad and good cholesterol.

A public-awareness campaign was run by other pharmaceutical companies working on cholesterol lowering drug. Americans began drawing the connection between high cholesterol and heart attacks. Heart patients got to know their cholesterol numbers; people even learned the distinction between high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good" cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol. Food marketers responded with products like low-fat frozen pizzas and cholesterol-free potato chips. And drug makers began to crowd into the statin market.

Doctors prescribed statins for lowering of cholesterol but there were questions about the long term benefits. In April 1994, a study showed that simvastatin reduced the cholesterol level by 35% and reduced the likelihood that a patient would die of a heart attack by 42%. Simvastatin got FDA approval and was launched in the market under the brand name Zocor.

Pfizer piggybacked on the work done by other companies had done to raise consumer awareness and doctor’s confidence. Pfizer’s doctor savvy marketing campaign and direct-to-consumer advertising helped Lipitor become the market leader in the treatment of heart disease.

Lipitor Drug is proven to reduce the risk of having a heart attack and stroke and is one of the best drugs in high cholesterol medication. There are over 22 million Americans who have been prescribed Lipitor.

Along with your medicine, remember to follow these healthy living tips to help lower your cholesterol:
• Follow a cholesterol-lowering diet
• Make exercise a part of your life
• Lose weight, if you are overweight
• Quit smoking
• Continue to take your medicine

If you follow your doctor’s advice, take your medicine and change some of your unhealthy habits, you will lower your high cholesterol, which is a risk factor for heart disease and may reduce your chance of having a heart attack. There are many statins available in the market. For example: Lescol is one of six prescription drugs known as statins. But one should use only the medication prescribed by the doctor.