Pfizer: Lipitor ‘more effective’ than simvastatin for heart attacks

Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, has claimed that Lipitor is more effective than simvastatin in reducing the risk of further heart attacks in patients who have recently suffered one.

The claim comes following the presentation of clinical trial results, which demonstrated that Lipitor in its 80mg dosage form reduced the risk of further heart attacks by 46 per cent in patients of post-heart attack patients, while reducing major overall major coronary events by over a third.

Additionally, Lipitor users demonstrated an 18 per cent decreased risk of death, stroke, unstable angina and revascularisation in comparison to simvastatin patients.

Dr Joseph Feckzo, Pfizer’s chief medical officer, remarked: “Lipitor is the only statin to show a significant benefit in these very high risk heart disease patients, and has demonstrated greater benefits than both simvastatin and pravastatin in clinical trials studying these patients.”

“These findings add to the wealth of clinical data that support the impressive efficacy and safety profile of Lipitor across the dose range,” he added.

Pfizer claims that Lipitor is the world’s most prescribed anti-cholesterol drug, with 121 million patient years of experience. However, the patents for Lipitor have been challenged by generic manufacturers like Ranbaxy, an Indian company.

The loss of Lipitor revenue in the next decade is one reason why Pfizer announced a new leadership organisation designed to help “streamline” the company’s business.

Hank McKinell, Pfizer’s chief executive officer, said the company would lose around a third of its human health revenues between 2004 and 2008.

“Many companies could not survive such a profound loss of revenue. The strong performance of our in-line product portfolio and the large potential of our new-product pipeline demonstrate our ability to generate substantial new revenues to create the next-generation Pfizer,” he explained.

© Adfero Ltd