Word: lipitor
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...nearly two years, millions of Americans have seen television ads featuring artificial heart inventor Robert Jarvik touting the benefits of the cholesterol-lowering medication Lipitor. No longer. On Monday, Lipitor's maker, Pfizer, decided to pull the $139 million campaign after a Congressional committee raised questions about Jarvik's qualifications as pitchman...
...issue is the fact that Jarvik, while a graduate of medical school, is not licensed to practice medicine, and therefore not legally able to write prescriptions for medications. In the ads, he admits to taking Lipitor himself, and appears to give medical advice as a practicing physician. "We chose ["Dr. Jarvik"] because he is a well respected heart expert, inventor of the Jarvik heart, and we thought it was appropriate because he is well respected in the area of cardiology and vascular research," Vanessa Aristede, director of corporate communications at Pfizer, told TIME. In defending his decision to become...
...meantime, doctors are likely to dial back on their use of Vytorin. "If they aren't getting to the target goal [cholesterol level] with generic simvastatin, then because this study is raising questions I think a lot of physicians will think about switching to higher doses of drugs like Lipitor or Crestor before going to Vytorin," says Blumenthal. At least the commercials got one thing right - your risk of heart disease does depend on the food you eat and the genes you inherit. It's just that Vytorin may not be best way to fight those factors when it comes...
...deciding to drop the bomb. They barely get a second thought these days. The dreaded side-effects just aren't that common. For reasons never clear to the surgeons, new drugs catch on in waves; first it was Prozac, then Zoloft, now its Lexipro. All our patients were on Lipitor, now they're on Crestor. Treating numbers like bone density and LDL cholesterol instead of treating fractures and clogged arteries is hopefully an improvement, so a new generation of patients goes to the doctor, not to get well but rather to not get sick...
...course, shrewd lawyering won't help Pfizer where it matters most: developing new medicines. Pfizer's biggest product, Lipitor, could lose its patent protection within four years. And Wall Street is losing patience with the pace of new-drug development. Pfizer's share price has slumped more than 30% since 2001. Former CEO McKinnell didn't help matters, appearing aloof to investor concerns while pocketing more than $140 million during his tenure, including a retirement package worth an estimated $83 million. Mending fences with shareholders will be critical for Kindler. They are, after all, paying his salary...