File 001 · Category Openers
Record 059 · Health · 1996
96.59.HLipitor (atorvastatin)
Warner-Lambert / Pfizer
“A statin so effective it rewrote cardiology practice and Pfizer's P&L.”
The cholesterol drug that became the best-selling pharmaceutical in history.
Approved 1996. Peak sales ~$13 billion a year before 2011 patent cliff. Demonstrated what a single small molecule can do to a company and a death rate.
Units. $150B+ lifetime sales (estimates vary)
SIC
2834
Pharmaceutical Preparations
NAICS
325412
Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing
