Cholesterol-lowering medication

Record 059 · Health · 1996

50%96.59.H

Lipitor (atorvastatin)

Warner-Lambert / Pfizer

“A statin so effective it rewrote cardiology practice and Pfizer's P&L.”

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.

$150B+ lifetime sales (estimates vary)

Official site

The cholesterol drug that became the best-selling pharmaceutical in history.