Pharmaceutical Business review

Dr. Reddy’s introduces generic anti-cholesterol drug in US

The Atorvastatin Calcium tablets, approved by the United States Food & Drug Administration (USFDA), are the bioequivalent generic version of Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) tablets.

According to IMS Health, for the most recent twelve months ending March 2012, Lipitor brand had US sales of approximately $8.07bn. The company launches Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets in 10mg, 20mg, 40mg and 80mg strengths in bottle count sizes of 90 and 500.

Atorvastatin, marketed by Pfizer as a calcium salt under the trade name Lipitor, is a member of the drug class known as statins, used for lowering blood cholesterol.

Atorvastatin also stabilizes plaque and prevents strokes through anti-inflammatory and other mechanisms. Like all statins, atorvastatin works by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase, an enzyme found in liver tissue that plays a key role in production of cholesterol in the body.