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Consumer Reports Pushes For Generic Cholesterol Drug Use

April 3, 2007

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Lipitor is among the most widely prescribed drugs to lower cholesterol, but Consumer Reports says doctors should consider its price before writing a prescription.

The consumer group says generic statins are as effective as high-priced brands for most people who need a statin drug, and can help consumers save more than $1,000 a year.

"The three generics available to lower cholesterol and help prevent heart attacks can save consumers significant amounts of money, and that is critical for those patients who have trouble paying for their medicines," said Gail Shearer, director of Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs. "A person is much more likely to continue taking a needed medicine if they can afford it."

"Generic statins are becoming increasingly less expensive over time," Shearer said. "Every person with high cholesterol or who is at elevated risk of heart attack or stroke should discuss generic statins with their physician, and determine which drug is best for their condition."

The group cites news reports saying that Pfizer, the maker of Lipitor, has been sending letters to doctors to slow the tide of patients switching from that drug to one of the three generic statins. In particular, Lipitor is competing with two new generics -- pravastatin and simvastatin -- that came onto the market late last year. The generics are versions of Pravachol and Zocor, respectively.

Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs selected lovastatin, pravastatin and simvastatin as "Best Buys" for most types of cholesterol reduction. Lovastatin and pravastatin are recommended if "bad" cholesterol, or LDL, needs to be reduced by less than 30 percent.

Simvastatin is recommended if LDL reduction of 30 percent or greater is needed and/or the patient has had a heart attack or diabetes; or if the patient has had a heart attack and their LDL level is not highly elevated.

Lipitor is a recommended "Best Buy" for a select group of patients -- those who have had a heart attack or have acute coronary syndrome with a highly elevated LDL level. Consumer Reports recommends using the drug for two years and then reconfirming the need or switching to simvastatin after consulting with a physician.

A February analysis of the statin market by CR Best Buy Drugs found that despite the introduction of new generics, the brand-names retained a significant share of all statin prescriptions -- 71 percent. Lipitor alone accounted for an average 43 percent of all statin prescriptions in the latter half of 2006.

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