Lipitor’s sales stay strong for good reason

‘Secures various clinical evidence’

Lipitor remains the leading dyslipidemia drug for 20 years since 2003

The drug demonstrated efficacy not only in global studies but also in domestic patients in clinical trials

Lipitor is the only statin indicated for secondary cardiovascular prevention

Bill Schuster, Country Manager of Viatris Korea

The dyslipidemia treatment Lipitor has been able to remain the No.

 

1 selling drug for 20 years, supported by various clinical evidence.

 

Lipitor has proven its efficacy in patients with dyslipidemia not only globally but also domestically.

 

Based on various clinical evidence, major domestic and international societies still recommend statins as the preferred treatment for dyslipidemia.

 

On April 24, Viatris Korea held a press conference at the Westin Josun Hotel in Seoul to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Lipitor's launch in Korea.

 

Lipitor is the first atorvastatin-based dyslipidemia treatment that had been developed by Warner-Lambert (now Pfizer).

 

Lipitor was approved by the U.S.

 

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1997 and launched in Korea in 1999.

 

Lipitor works by competitively inhibiting the reductive component of HMG-CoA, a precursor for cholesterol synthesis, and hence disrupt the synthesis of cholesterol in the body.

 

Although many dyslipidemia drugs have then entered the market, Lipitor has been the number one selling drug ever since its launch.

 

According to market research firm IQVIA, Lipitor has been on a roll since 2013, surpassing KRW 100 billion in sales.

 

Last year, Lipitor's sales reached KRW 195.7 billion.

 

Among the many dyslipidemia drugs, Lipitor's success has been driven by the company's efforts to secure a wide range of clinical evidence.

 

In addition to the benefits confirmed in global studies, Viatris (then Pfizer) also conducted clinical trials in domestic patients.

 

In the AT-GOAL and AMADEUS trials, Lipitor was found to lower LDL-cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in Korean patients.

 

In the AT-GOAL trial, 425 Korean patients with dyslipidemia were followed for 8 weeks after being prescribed personalized dosages based on LDL-cholesterol levels and cardiovascular events, and risk group.

 

Results showed that more than 80% of the patients reached their individualized LDL-cholesterol treatment goals within 4 weeks of taking Lipitor.

 

In the AMADEUS trial, 440 patients with type 2 diabetes received tailored doses of Lipitor according to their LDL-C levels, a major cardiovascular risk factor.

 

In the trial, more than 90% of patients reached target LDL-cholesterol levels after eight weeks of Lipitor treatment.

 

In addition, Viatris launched a high-dose version of Lipitor (80 mg) and Lipitor Plus (atorvastatin-ezetimibe) to improve patient convenience.

 

One of the biggest advantages of Lipitor is that it is the only statin that has a secondary cardiovascular prevention indication.

 

Lipitor offers the benefit of reducing patients' risk for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease, including hospitalization for nonfatal myocardial infarction, revascularization, stroke, angina, and congestive heart failure.  In addition, Lipitor can be used in adult patients with type 2 diabetes, and without clinically evident coronary heart disease, but with multiple risk factors for coronary heart disease.

 

Based on such clinical evidence, Korean and international societies such as the American Diabetes Association, the European Society of Cardiology, and the Korean coronary artery disease societies recommend statins as first-line agents with strong clinical evidence.

 

Dr. Sripal Bangalore, Professor of Medicine at New York University School of Medicine, said, “Lipitor's cardiovascular safety has been established in several pivotal clinical studies over the past 25 years.

 

There is still a great deal of use for Lipitor, not only for LDL-cholesterol reduction but also for the prevention of several cardiovascular diseases.” Hyun-Jung Lim, Head of Marketing at Viatris Korea, said, “We have improved patient convenience by launching not only Lipitor but also high-dose Lipitor and Lipitor Plus.

 

We are planning various programs for dyslipidemia patients in Korea, and look forward to your continued interest."