Pfizer Says FDA OKs Lipitor for Diabetics

Pfizer Inc. said U.S. regulators approved its cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor, the world’s bestselling medicine, to reduce risk of stroke and heart attack in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Lipitor for patients without heart disease who carry risk factors such as high blood pressure and smoking, New York-based Pfizer said. The approval was based on a study of more than 2,800 people in which diabetics on Lipitor had about 50% fewer strokes than those on a placebo, Pfizer said.

Lipitor had about $11 billion in global revenue last year, and widening its use might help sales grow, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey analyst Bert Hazlett said.