Atorvastatin (INN) ( /əˌtɔrvəˈstætən/), 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. It 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.
Atorvastatin was first synthesized in 1985 by Bruce Roth of Parke-Davis Warner-Lambert Company (now Pfizer). The best selling drug in pharmaceutical history, sales of Lipitor since it was approved in 1996 exceed US$125 billion, and the drug has topped the list of best-selling branded pharmaceuticals in the world for nearly a decade. When Pfizer's patent on Lipitor expired on November 30, 2011, generic atorvastatin became available in the United States, initially manufactured only by generic drugmakers Watson Pharmaceuticals and India's Ranbaxy Laboratories. Prices for the generic version did not drop to the level of other generics—$10 or less for a month's supply—until other manufacturers were able to supply the drug in May 2012.
Read more about Atorvastatin: Medical Uses, Contraindications, Adverse Effects, Mechanism of Action, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacogenetics, Formulations, Drug Recall