(Reuters) – As cholesterol fighter Lipitor goes generic, its maker Pfizer Inc is hoping to hold onto perhaps a third of the 3 million Americans who take the biggest-selling drug of all time.
Lipitor, which became available in 1997 and generated annual sales of $13 billion at its peak, reduces “bad” LDL cholesterol and the risk of heart attack and stroke. It loses U.S. patent protection on Wednesday.
“More than one-third of patients currently taking Lipitor would like to stay on Lipitor,” David Simmons, president of emerging markets and established products for Pfizer, said on Tuesday, citing internal company research.
Pfizer is employing unprecedented tactics to hold onto as many Lipitor prescriptions as it can during the first six months of generic competition, when only
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