Pfizer “Chewable” Lipitor Approved by EU For Treating Children 10 Years Old and Up

Whether your knew it or not, Lipitor has been approved for use with children for a number of years here in the US as well.  Lipitor is due to come off patent at the end of 2011 and it appears we are seeing some interesting marketing here to try to ensure the blockbuster drug’s continued use.  What’s coming next an inhaled version of the drug or maybe chewing gum? 

Part of the reason for the chewable version goes back to allowing the drug company to get an additional 6 months of patent protection if they test with children, so no big surprise here with the reasoning as to why children may have been included.  I wonder myself how many children are actually taking Lipitor?  BD

TRENTON, N.J. – The European Union has approved a new chewable form of cholesterol blockbuster Lipitor for children 10 and up with high levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides, a type of blood fat, Pfizer said Tuesday.

The approval includes children whose high blood fats are due to an inherited disease that causes extremely high cholesterol levels, familial hypercholesterolemia.

New York-based Pfizer Inc. won U.S. approval for Lipitor use in children 10 to 17 with that condition in 2002.

Until recently, cholesterol drugs have been primarily taken by adults with heart disease, but their use has expanded to younger patients as more obese, sedentary teenagers and adolescents develop heart disease and diabetes.

Pfizer gets EU approval for kids' cholesterol drug - Yahoo! News

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