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Lipitor More Effective Than Simvastatin in Cutting Risk of Additional Heart Attacks in Patients Who Had a Recent Heart Attack, New Data Suggests

 * Heart Disease Patients who Were at a Very High Risk for Having a Second
 Heart Attack and Took Lipitor 80mg Had a 46 Percent Reduction in the Risk
   of Experiencing Additional Heart Attacks Compared With Patients Taking
                                Simvastatin
* Investigator: 'These data suggest the benefit of intensive treatment with
           Lipitor 80mg in very high-risk heart attack patients.'

    NEW YORK, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Patients who had a recent
heart attack and took Pfizer's Lipitor(R) (atorvastatin calcium) 80mg dose
experienced significantly fewer heart attacks than patients taking
simvastatin 20-40mg dose, according to results of a new analysis presented
today at the World Congress of Cardiology in Barcelona, Spain.
    "Patients who have experienced a recent heart attack are at greater
risk for experiencing life-threatening, recurrent events," said Dr. Terje
Pedersen, head of the Centre for Preventive Medicine at Ulleval University
Hospital, Oslo, Norway, and the lead investigator for IDEAL. "These data
suggest the benefit of intensive treatment with Lipitor 80mg in very
high-risk heart attack patients. Lipitor 80mg was also well-tolerated in
these patients."
    Patients who took Lipitor 80mg dose had a 46 percent reduction in the
risk of experiencing another heart attack, and a 34 percent reduction in
the risk of experiencing major coronary events, which included heart
attack, cardiac death and cardiac arrest, compared with patients who took
simvastatin 20-40mg dose. Lipitor 80mg also significantly reduced the risk
of death, stroke, unstable angina and revascularization combined by 18
percent compared to simvastatin 20-40mg. The safety profiles were similar
between the two groups.
    This analysis was based on the IDEAL (Incremental Decrease in Endpoints
Through Aggressive Lipid Lowering) trial and was designed and conducted
after the trial ended. It represents the longest follow-up of patients with
a recent heart attack on statin therapy.
    In IDEAL, 8,888 patients with coronary heart disease and moderately
elevated cholesterol levels were randomized to either Lipitor 80mg or
simvastatin 20-40mg and followed for an average of 4.8 years. These new
findings are from an analysis of the 999 patients in IDEAL who experienced
a heart attack less than two months prior to entering the study.
    "The often debilitating effects of a heart attack can place a
tremendous physical and emotional strain on patients and their families,"
said Dr. Peter Ganz, associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical
School. "These findings provide new and important information about the
potential benefit of intensive treatment with Lipitor in the management of
the risk of recurrent, potentially life-threatening cardiac events."
    Worldwide, heart disease is responsible for seven million deaths
annually. It is the single largest killer of Americans, causing one out of
every five deaths. An estimated 865,000 people suffer a new or recurrent
heart attack each year, according to data from the American Heart
Association.
    The economic impact of heart attacks and strokes in the U.S. alone
totals nearly $403 billion in medical care and lost productivity annually.
On an individual level, heart attacks and strokes are often devastating
experiences for the patient and his or her family. Preventing a heart
attack means avoiding hospitalization, a long recovery period and weeks or
months of lost work time associated with disability.
    "Lipitor is the only statin to show a significant benefit in these very
high risk heart disease patients, and has demonstrated greater benefits
than both simvastatin and pravastatin in clinical trials studying these
patients," said Dr. Joseph Feczko, Pfizer's chief medical officer. "These
findings add to the wealth of clinical data that support the impressive
efficacy and safety profile of Lipitor across the dose range."
    Since the introduction of Lipitor more than nine years ago, its safety
and effectiveness have been supported through an extensive clinical trial
program, Atorvastatin Landmarks, with more than 400 ongoing and completed
trials involving more than 80,000 patients. Lipitor is the most prescribed
cholesterol-lowering therapy in the world, with 121 million patient years
of experience.
    IDEAL was an investigator-led trial sponsored by Pfizer.
    Important Information
    Lipitor is a prescription drug. It is used in patients with multiple
risk factors for heart disease, such as family history, high blood
pressure, age, low HDL ("good" cholesterol), or smoking to reduce the risk
of heart attack and stroke. When diet and exercise alone are not enough,
Lipitor is used along with a low-fat diet and exercise to lower
cholesterol.
    Lipitor is also used in patients with type 2 diabetes and at least one
other risk factor for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, smoking
or complications of diabetes, including eye disease and protein in urine,
to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
    Lipitor is not for everyone. It is not for those with liver problems.
And it is not for women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant.
    If you take Lipitor, tell your doctor if you feel any new muscle pain
or weakness. This could be a sign of rare but serious muscle side effects.
Tell your doctor about all medications you take. This may help avoid
serious drug interactions. Your doctor should do blood tests to check your
liver function before and during treatment and may adjust your dose. The
most common side effects are gas, constipation, stomach pain and heartburn.
They tend to be mild and often go away.
    For more product information visit http://www.Lipitor.com or call
1-888-LIPITOR.


SOURCE Pfizer Inc.




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