Ranbaxy launches generic version of Lipitor in Canada

Ranbaxy has announced the Canadian launch of RAN-Atorvastatin, a new cholesterol reduction treatment which represents a generic equivalent to Pfizer’s Lipitor brand.

The firm’s local division Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc (RPCI) has been granted approval from regulatory body Health Canada to market the new drug in the Canadian healthcare system in four different strengths.

According to Pfizer, the original Lipitor drug is currently the world’s most-prescribed branded cholesterol-lowering medicine and has been the subject of more than 400 ongoing or completed clinical trials.

It is designed to assist patients in lowering their risk of cholesterol-induced cardiovascular conditions, as well as helping to prevent against strokes.

Paul Drake, president of RPCI, welcomed the decision to approve its version of the atorvastatin-based treatment, which has now gone on sale in Canada.

Earlier this month, Ranbaxy published its first quarter 2010 financial results, reporting a 65 per cent year-on-year increase in net sales.