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Clarifying Lipitor and Its Uses

Lipitor packageYou might have heard of the medication Lipitor on television or radio, and wondered to yourself what exactly it is and how it helps. Well, you no longer have to wait for an answer, as we dive into what Lipitor is, how it helps cholesterol, the active ingredient, and the benefits of getting started on the cholesterol medication that is making waves throughout the medical community today. While the patent is set to expire in 2011, Pfizer has definitely made the best of the remaining years of its medical patent, creating a great overall reaction for those that have taken the drug and found it to be a life saver.

Lipitor is a cholesterol fighting medication that is prescribed to those that are at risk to stroke, due to plaque build up in the arteries. The medication is chemically called Atorvastatin. Pfizer, patented the pharmaceutical and has made millions with the product, as it is the number one branded pharmaceutical in the world. While the patent expires in 2011, Pfizer has made an agreement with Ranbaxy Laboratories to delay the generic launch of Atorvastatin in the U.S. until November 2011, giving Pfizer a little more time to sell Lipitor in the United States and other markets.

Pfizer logoLipitor, developed by Pfizer, is the number one pharmaceutical company in the world. The company has produced many medications, and most revenues in the recent years have come from the sale and development of Lipitor, which aids in lowering blood cholesterol. While Pfizer has come under fire in the past for medical fraud, stemming from the marketing of four of their products, Lipitor remains one of the most reliable and effective medications to help people at risk for stroke or heart attack.

Atorvastatin is a competitive inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase. This synthetic compound stops the enzyme that releases de novo cholesterol synthesis, increasing expression of low-density lipoprotein receptors aka LDL receptors on hepatocytes. This helps increase LDL and decreases the amount of LDL-cholesterol in the blood. Like many other statins on the market, iit also reduces blood levels of triglycerides and slightly increases levels of HDL-cholesterol. In many trials the combination of ezetimibe and Lipitor helped lower cholesterol more effectively than Vytorin.

AtorvastatinWhile there are some side effects to taking this medication, the details of the benefits out weight them. While the most common side effect is headache, some experience rash, chest pain, weakness, and other symptoms that are flu-like in nature. However, lowering high blood cholesterol could heavily reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack, which is a major result of taking this medication. In elderly patients this is a priority amongst those that have high blood cholesterol concentration in the blood.

The available forms of this medication is in tables for oral administration. The tables are usually white, elliptical and coated with a slight film. Pfizer packages the drug in a combination with other drugs, that are prescribed by a physician. The overall benefit of taking this is to help inhibit the cholesterol and cause adverse medical effects to the cardio vascular system.