lipitor

The world's top drug maker recalled 191,000 bottles of its anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor due to reports of a moldy odor emanating from bottles supplied by a third-party – the same problem that resulted in the recall of millions of Tylenol bottles. Pfizer spokesman Rick Chambers said the...

The World Health Organization has granted prequalification to Pfizer's Prevnar 13 pediatric vaccine, which protects against an array of pneumococcal diseases, the world's leading cause of vaccine-preventable death in children under 5. Pfizer's shares rose more than 1% Monday.

Pfizer reported Tuesday that its second-quarter profit increased 9%, handily beating analyst expectations, as it further cut costs and revenue jumped sharply due to its acquisition of Wyeth last October.

AstraZeneca shares surged by almost 9% Tuesday after the company scored a win in court regarding the patent for its cholesterol treatment, Crestor. The ruling means that AstraZeneca won't have to worry about generic competition for its multibillion-dollar statin until 2016.

The stock of the world's largest drugmaker has been a laggard lately. But that could be soon changing if analysts who are pointing to a solid lineup of new products are right. They think the giant can easily offset the patent loss for Lipitor.

For several years now, Big Pharma has been cutting massive numbers of jobs, so the announcement Tuesday from Pfizer, the world's largest pharmaceutical firm, that it will lay off 6,000 more people as part of a manufacturing reorganization shouldn't surprise anyone.

If promising early results of its cholesterol-busting drug RVX-208 get supported in larger clinical trials, it could put this young company on the map in a big way. A partnership with a major drugmaker is a very strong possibility.

Earlier this week, AstraZeneca's widely used cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in people with normal cholesterol to prevent heart attacks and strokes. The approval could lead to a much bigger market for Crestor, but has also led to a number of critics questioning the decision.

AstraZeneca scored a win on Tuesday, when a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended broader use of Crestor, the company's cholesterol-lowering drug. The panel recommended that those with low cholesterol use the drug, following studies finding that Crestor reduces the risk of heart disease even in those with normal cholesterol levels.