Lipitor vs. Zocor

Maker of Lipitor Digs In to Fight Generic Rival

Business
Maker of Lipitor Digs In to Fight Generic Rival
By STEPHANIE SAUL and ALEX BERENSON
Published: November 3, 2007
Each month, thousands of patients on the cholesterol drug are switching to simvastatin, a cheaper alternative, but Pfizer is not letting its flagship drug go down without a fight.

Excerpt:

And scientists and doctors say that for most of the 16 million people in America who take drugs to reduce cholesterol, the low-priced alternative will work as well as the name-brand medicine — Lipitor, which is made by Pfizer and is the nation’s most widely prescribed drug.

While Lipitor itself is not available as a generic, a very similar drug made by Merck, Zocor, lost its patent protection last year. The generic version of Zocor, simvastatin, is now much cheaper than Lipitor, leading insurers to press doctors and patients to switch.

Comment: See my early post: Generic Drugs