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Class-Action Lawsuit Challenges Pfizer's DTC Ad Claim of Lipitor's Effectiveness in Reducing Cholesterol Levels, Wall Street Journal Reports
29 Sep 2005

A lawsuit filed by consumer advocates in U.S. District Court in Boston alleges that Pfizer marketed the cholesterol drug Lipitor to women and the elderly without proof that Lipitor reduces the risk of heart disease in those groups, the Wall Street Journal reports. The plaintiffs -- which include advocacy group Health Care for All and health plans for a New Jersey Teamsters union local, a Brooklyn woman and an elderly Massachusetts man -- allege that Pfizer's sales and marketing campaigns focused on cholesterol reduction and suggested that the medication protects against heart disease. However, there is a lack of proof that Lipitor's effect on cholesterol protects against heart attacks and strokes in women and the elderly with no prior history of the diseases, according to the suit. It also alleges that the company's marketing campaigns violated state consumer protection laws against unfair and deceptive trade practices. The plaintiffs state that although studies show the medication is helpful in lowering cholesterol in men with a high risk of cardiovascular disease, no such proof exists for women or the elderly. The groups are seeking compensation for women and the elderly who paid for Lipitor and insurance companies that paid for the medication on their behalf. A Pfizer spokesperson declined to comment on the suit, saying that the company had not been served, the Journal reports (Hensley, Wall Street Journal, 9/29).