Lipitor blog at BlogSpot

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Studies Question Need for Some Users

Do you really need to take a cholesterol-lowering medication to prevent heart disease?

If you listen to what Pfizer — the world's largest drug company and manufacturer of Lipitor, the most common treatment for elevated cholesterol, the answer is YES.

But if you listen to researchers including a highly respected Harvard physician, the answer may be NO.

According to a national class-action lawsuit filed by a group of consumers, Pfizer misled consumers into using its anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor. The suit seeks to reimburse consumers for what it claims are the unnecessary costs consumers paid for the medication.

According to the lawsuit, Pfizer engaged in a massive advertising and promotional campaign to convince both doctors and patients that Lipitor is a beneficial treatment for nearly everyone with elevated cholesterol.

With sales skyrocketing to $10 billion in 2004 and an estimated 74% of sales coming from those for whom there is no evidence the drug is needed, the campaign worked.

Recently, a group of consumers filed the first-of-its-kind nationwide class-action lawsuit against Pfizer for misleading consumers into using its anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor.