Cholesterol drugs Lipitor battles generics.(CR Health)

Did you know there's no generic form of Lipitor?" asks an online advertisement for the cholesterol-lowering drug. Lipitor (atorvastatin) is the world's top-selling prescription drug. The Web ad is part of a campaign that also includes TV and radio spots, all featuring Robert Jarvik, M.D., as spokesman. Jarvik is renowned for inventing the Jarvik artificial heart, first used in 1982. The ads seem designed to convince consumers that Lipitor is a better choice than less-expensive generic options.

Lipitor is one of a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins. Of six existing statins, three--lovastatin, pravastatin, and simvastatin--are now available as generics. About 20 million Americans take a statin.

It's true that atorvastatin is a highly effective drug, and for a select group of high-risk patients, it remains a good choice. But the vast majority of people who need to take a statin can get the same protection from the less expensive generic options, and for less than half the cost. The Lipitor ad also contributes to general misconceptions about generics.

NEW AD, OLD BATTLE

Simply, a generic drug is a chemical twin of a brand-name drug whose patent has expired. To get approval from the Food and Drug Administration, a generic must contain the same active ingredient as the brand-name version, though it can have different inactive ingredients, such as color or flavoring agents. The manufacturer also has to demonstrate that the generic drug is "bioequivalent," meaning that it enters and leaves the bloodstream as rapidly and completely as the original. Each year, consumers save as much as $10 billion at retail pharmacies by buying generics.

Pharmaceutical companies have long tried to discourage consumers from buying generics by implying that they are of lesser quality. Even when ads don't mention generics, "they serve to reinforce the trade names for drugs, so that people develop an affinity for a certain brand name," says Gerald McEvoy, assistant vice president for drug information of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists.

Lipitor has much to gain from implanting that brand loyalty now. The patent on the active ingredient in Lipitor, atorvastatin calcium, will expire in 2010, opening the market to competitors who are expected to offer the drug as a generic at a lower price. That could cause a loss in market share for Pfizer, Lipitor's manufacturer. In 2006, when generic simvastatin became available, sales of Zocor, Lipitor's chief competitor, plummeted 30 percent as doctors switched patients to the generic.