Generic Zocor Drugs
Make Lipitor Harder to Get - Cholesterol Lowering Drugs Becoming Less
Expensive As Insurers Balk at Brand Names
July 10th 2006
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Drug companies have been under heavy pressure by the insurance industry
and other consumer groups to lower the cost of prescription drugs.
Since Lipitor is the most prescribed brand name drug in the world, news
that the Statin drug is getting harder and more expensive to get raised
some eyebrows.
The national newspaper, USA Today, examined how some U.S. residents have
begun to find that the anti-cholesterol medication, Lipitor, more
difficult to get a prescription for. According to the report Lipitor,
manufactured by Pfizer, has become "harder and more expensive to get" as
employers encourage use of generic medications to reduce prescription
drug costs.
Last month generic versions of the competing drug Zoror hit the market.
This comes at a bad time for Merck, the maker of Zocor, who has been
facing lawsuits concerning their Vioxx pain reliever. United Press
International reported that Novartis filed suit last month against a
potential rival company, Teva, seeking to block the competitor from
becoming the first to market a generic version of Zocor.
There will be changes on the horizon for the cholesterol lowering drug
industry. Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs reported that 60% of U.S.
residents who take brand-name, anti-cholesterol medications could safely
switch to generic Zocor. This could save between $7 billion and $11
billion annually.
But Pfizer is fighting back. In response to pressure to switch to lower
price generics, the company has launched new Lipitor advertisements and
free trial offers of the medication. Pfizer says that studies indicate
that Lipitor is more effective than Zocor at reducing cholesterol levels
while limiting the risk for heart and stroke.
Dan Wilson
Best Syndication
Books on Heart Disease
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