Pfizer’s Lipitor ‘can reduce recurrent stroke risks’

A new study from Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, has found that Lipitor (atorvastatin), is effective in reducing the risk of a stroke recurring in patients with no known history of coronary heart disease.

The study demonstrated that patients who received Lipitor soon after having a stroke were 16 per cent less likely to suffer a recurrence. Researchers said this is due to the drug’s ability to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which is a known cause of coronary heart disease and a risk factor for strokes.

A small number of patients receiving Lipitor showed an increase in having haemorrhagic strokes, although the study’s authors said it was not possible to draw conclusions as this affected a small percentage of patients enrolled in the trial.

Dr Larry B Goldstein, director of the Duke Stroke Centre, remarked: “This is the first study to demonstrate that treatment with a statin, a type of cholesterol-lowering drug, can reduce the risk of strokes in patients who have had a recent stroke or a transient ischemic attack and who have no known history of coronary heart disease.”

“The findings are very important for physicians and patients because they show that the addition of this drug to other treatments further reduces the risk of another stroke, which is a pretty big step in improving what we can do for stroke patients,” he added.

Dr Goldstein concluded by saying the results of the study would have a “major effect” on the way in which people are treated for strokes.

Lipitor is the world’s best selling drug, although Pfizer is defending a number of patent challenges from generic manufacturers that wish to launch their own versions.

In the last two months, a number of counterfeit batches of Lipitor have been found in the UK – the third time this has happened. Pfizer UK said “enough is enough” and has insisted that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the police conduct a full investigation.

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