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news.Pfizer is being sued by consumer groups claiming that the company misleadingly marketed its blockbuster cholesterol lowering drug, Lipitor.
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According to Steve Berman, the lead attorney for the proposed class, Pfizer promoted Lipitor by claiming it prevents heart disease in women and the elderly, where no clinical test has established such a benefit. In fact, according to the complaint, women without heart disease taking Lipitor actually developed 10% more heart attacks than women treated with a placebo.
“We believe Pfizer intentionally ignored the scientific evidence – and lack thereof – and launched a multi-million dollar ad campaign designed to push the drug to anyone they could convince to buy it,” Berman said. “We intend to prove that Pfizer pocketed billions in sales to those who do not benefit from Lipitor.”
Lipitor is in the class of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins and it is the best-selling drug in the world, with sales in 2004 of more than $10 billion. The FDA earlier this week approved the drug for an extra indication of treating patients with type 2 diabetes who do not exhibit evidence of heart disease but who may show other risk factors for the condition.