Lipitor (Atorvastatin) News and Research

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Atorvastatin (INN) (Lipitor, Pfizer), is a member of the drug class known as statins, used for lowering blood cholesterol. It also stabilizes plaque and prevents strokes through anti-inflammatory and other mechanisms. Atorvastatin inhibits HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-determining enzyme located in hepatic tissue that produces mevalonate, a small molecule used in the synthesis of cholesterol and other mevalonate derivatives. This lowers the amount of cholesterol produced which in turn lowers the total amount of LDL cholesterol. Atorvastatin was first synthesized in 1985 by Bruce Roth while working at Parke-Davis Warner-Lambert Company (now Pfizer). With 2006 sales of US$12.9 billion, Lipitor is the largest-selling drug in the world.

TSRI scientists develop easy method for synthesizing compounds with potential to treat lung disorders

Chemists at The Scripps Research Institute have developed a broad and strikingly easy method for synthesizing a class of molecules that have demonstrated value as pharmaceuticals.

17 Apr 2017

Controlling low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels: an interview with Jay Edelberg, M.D., Sanofi and Bill Sasiela, Ph.D., Regeneron

Lipids, primarily cholesterol and triglycerides, come from two sources: what is naturally manufactured in the liver and what comes from the intestines through the diet.

From Sanofi 7 May 2014

Meijer offers generic Lipitor for free to help families be heart healthy

In an effort to help families be heart healthy, this week Midwest retailer Meijer began offering the generic substitute for Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) for free in all 199 Meijer pharmacies.

4 Sep 2012

Experimental drugs from Sanofi and Regenron cut cholesterol in a new way

An experimental drug that acts in a novel way to lower cholesterol proved even more effective than statins and had few undesirable side effects, newly released data shows. The drug acts by modifying the way cholesterol levels are naturally controlled. A protein produced in the liver helps limit the amount of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, that liver cells can remove from the bloodstream. The new drug, called REGN727, is a monoclonal antibody, made in a laboratory, that blocks the action of that protein.

27 Mar 2012

Merck fails to get FDA nod for new cholesterol lowering combo pill

The length of delay in approval is not clear yet as the FDA has called for additional study data on the compound. It combines generic Lipitor (Atorvastatin), the top-selling drug of all time, with Merck's cholesterol medicine Zetia (Ezetimibe).

5 Mar 2012

Ranbaxy receives FDA approval for first generic version of cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic version of the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor.

30 Nov 2011

Pfizer backs its highest grosser Lipitor

Pfizer’s Lipitor, a blood cholesterol lowering drug, is a popular one the among general population. However now that a generic competition for the drug has arrived in the market the company has devised discounts and incentives for patients, insurers and companies that process prescriptions that will, at least for the next six months, make the brand name drug about as cheap as or cheaper than the generics.

30 Nov 2011

Cholesterol drugs clash head on

Major cholesterol lowering drugs are being pitched against each other. The cheaper ones are more likely to win say experts.

16 Nov 2011

Rosuvastatin as effective as atorvastatin in reversing atherosclerosis

Maximum doses of Crestor- (rosuvastatin) or Lipitor- (atorvastatin) are similarly effective in reversing the buildup of cholesterol plaques in the coronary artery walls (atherosclerosis) after 24 months of treatment, according to Cleveland Clinic researchers.

16 Nov 2011

Foods that can reduce cholesterol

At present those with cholesterol are prescribed cholesterol lowering drugs like statins and a diet that cuts out foods high in saturated fat. New research shows that some foods may help to lower cholesterol.

26 Aug 2011

High dose statins raise risk of diabetes: Study

According to the latest research taking a high-dose statin to lower cholesterol may increase risk of developing diabetes by as much as 12 percent, but the heart benefits of statins still outweigh the risks.

23 Jun 2011

Pfizer's new chewable Lipitor for children receives European Commission approval

Pfizer Inc. announced it has received European Commission approval of a new chewable form of Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) suitable for use in children aged 10 or older with high levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol and high triglycerides due to the inherited disorder familial hypercholesterolemia and other primary causes, which can increase the risk of heart disease and premature death. This pediatric indication has also been approved for the currently available tablet form of Lipitor.

7 Jul 2010

High blood pressure: A major risk factor for stroke and heart disease

Today, Jamieson Laboratories, in partnership with the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON), is holding a one day Blood Pressure Blitz in Toronto's underground PATH system in an effort to educate consumers about the number one risk factor for stroke and a major risk factor of heart disease.

20 Nov 2009

Pediatric data for Pfizer's Lipitor submitted to the EMEA

Pfizer Inc announced it has submitted pediatric data for Lipitor® (atorvastatin) to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). Pfizer has also developed a new chewable form of Lipitor, including a pediatric-appropriate 5 mg dose, which is part of this submission.

18 Nov 2009

Upsher-Smith Laboratories publishes results of SLIM Study

Results of the SLIM Study ("Slo-Niacin® and Atorvastatin Treatment of Lipoproteins and Inflammatory Markers in Combined Hyperlipidemia") were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology.

17 Nov 2009

Results from first-in-man study of NO-donating HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor released

NicOx S.A. today announced that a phase 1b, first-in-man study for NCX 6560, versus placebo and Lipitor® (atorvastatin), has met its primary and secondary objectives. The top-line results demonstrated very good safety and tolerability for all the tested doses of NCX 6560, as well as the expected cholesterol lowering profile.

13 Nov 2009

Upsher-Smith Laboratories publishes data on Slo-Niacin and Lipitor combination study

28 Oct 2009

Costly biologics drugs prompt exclusivity debate

"A bitter Congressional fight over the cost of superexpensive biotechnology drugs has come down to a single, hotly debated number: How many years should makers of those drugs be exempt from generic competition?" The New York Times reports.

22 Jul 2009

Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs do not lower risk of pneumonia in seniors

Taking popular cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, such as Lipitor (atorvastatin), does not lower the risk of pneumonia. That's the new finding from a study of more than 3,000 Group Health patients published online on June 16 in advance of the British Medical Journal's June 20 print issue.

17 Jun 2009

Pfizer to give away 70 of its most widely prescribed drugs to those who lost jobs

Pfizer on Thursday announced a new program that would provide some of its existing customers access to more than 70 types of medications at no cost if they have recently been laid off or lost their prescription drug coverage, USA Today reports. The program -- called MAINTAIN, or Medicines Assistance for Those who Are in Need -- will begin July 1.

15 May 2009