Statin price reduction could be good news for diabetics

Diabetics who need to take statins to maintain their cholesterol levels have received the good news that the price of atorvastati, which is sold under the trade name of Lipitor, has fallen dramatically having reached the end of its patent.
It is expected that the price change, as well as helping the NHS to reduce their costs on cholesterol-lowering drugs, will provide a cheap alternative to people suffering from hypercholesterolaemia, as new patients requiring statins will be moved to atorvastatin instead of the more expensive simvastatin.
With the ending of the patent for atorvastati, held by pharma giant Pfizer, has come a 93 per cent price reductio, prompting an industry expert to recommend that restrictions on the sale of the statin be lifted, as well as a legal stop on the prescription of generic versions of the drug.
It was recently revealed that doctors were to be enrolled in programmes for moving patients to atorvastatin due to a study finding that the price would go down hugely after the expiry of its patent, which will affect a large number of diabetes patients currently taking simvastatin.
The most expensive 28-pill pack of the generic version of 80mg atorvastatin has now been set at GBP2.26, as compared with the price for the branded versio, Lipitor, of GBP28.21. This price is also comparable with that of that of other doses, which market at 91 pence for a 10mg pack and GBP1.72 for a 20mg pack.