Switching from Lipitor (atorvastatin) to generic simvastatin may lead to less potent doses being used and potentially increase the risk of cardiovascular events, new research suggests.
In light of the looming issue of atorvastatin coming off patent later this year, a Pfizer-funded study based on Dutch prescribing data showed that in the first quarter of 2009, 33.7 per cent, 47.2 per cent and 19.1 per cent of Dutch patients initially on atorvastatin were switched to less potent, equipotent and more potent doses of simvastatin, respectively.
Lead author, Danny Liew, from the University of Melbourne, estimated this would lead to a net increase in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) of 6.8 per cent based on a modelling analysis.
Assuming a pre-switch LDL-C of 2 mmol/L,...
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