Pfizer throws in the towel.... as well they should.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2009/nov2009_Pfizer-Abandons-Heart-Drug-Development_01.htm

MORE AT LINK:


Pfizer Abandons Heart Drug Development
By William Faloon
William Faloon
William Faloon

In a startling announcement, the largest drug company in the world says it will no longer develop medicine to prevent or treat atherosclerotic heart disease.1

Pfizer is the maker of Lipitor® and Norvasc®, two of the most profitable cardiovascular drugs of all time. Total cumulative sales of Lipitor® alone top $120 billion. Despite spending tens of billions of dollars in research and acquisitions, Pfizer is throwing in the towel. Pfizer’s inability to combat the leading cause of death in the modern world is an indictment of the pharmaceutical industry’s failure to use their outrageous profits to defeat age-related disease.
Why is Pfizer Dropping Out?

In their public statement, Pfizer says it wants to focus new drug research on more profitable areas such as oncology. Sadly, cancer patients are forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars for oncology drugs that may prolong survival by only a few months.

We at Life Extension® believe that Pfizer’s capitulation is based on the abundance of nutritional products that are vastly superior in preventing and reversing heart disease than anything the pharma-ceutical industry is capable of developing over the next 5 to 10 years. Pfizer is also keenly aware that cardiac patients today often have access to very low-cost generic medications to augment (if needed) the effects of natural approaches.
Examples of Superiority of Natural Products

Five million Americans suffer from congestive heart failure.2 Certain prescription drugs can temporarily improve cardiac output, but nothing has demonstrated better results than the ubiquinol form of coenzyme Q10. In congestive heart failure patients whose ejection fraction (a measure of how much blood the heart can pump) had plummeted to near-death levels despite aggressive drug therapy, ubiquinol increased heart muscle function by 88%.3

[glowing]

1. My husband has high cholesterol.. heritage most likely...since he's young.

Fish Oil is all he takes because he's allergic to the prescription stuff... His levels are normalized at this point. Fish oil.. that's been his magic cure.. Just wish that these supplements were covered in prescription co-pays.. some of these naturals are expensive.. Like the coenzyme Q10.. its not the cheapest item to buy.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. There is a form of CoQ10 available at Wallyworld called Qunol,

it is in a form that is approximately 3x more absorbable than the run of the mill stuff. Therefore, the 100mg pills are theoretically equal to 300mg pills. I take it... it is reasonably priced imho.

[roguevalley]

10. I take a fish oil tablet 1200 mgs or whatever it is with every meal. I can

actually feel physical changes from doing it for the good. I send good wishes to your husband, glowing. tell him to do it with every meal. He won't regret it.

[dflprincess]

11. My doctor had me on fish oil and niacin

and just had me cut it out because my liver enzymes were going nuts - just as they might with a statin. It broke my heart because my cholesteral numbers have never been better. Things appear to going back to normal and I didn't realize how lousy I had been feeling until I stopped taking the two supplements.

There is also some evidence that COQ10 may also elevate liver enzymes despite.

As with any drug, just because I had problems with it doesn't mean you will. Just make sure your MD knows you're taking these and have the liver function tests done once in a while to make sure things are okay.

[roguevalley]

12. niacin is awesome. didn't have the problems with it some had.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

14. Hot flashes are a pretty common side effect.

[HBravo]

3. My father died

of congestive heart failure. I guess there is more money in viagra.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. Welcome to DU and sorry to hear about your dad. Right about

the real money makers.... only the synthetics are paid for by the disease care system.

[HBravo]

7. Thank you

Glad to be here. I miss him every day.

By the way good post. These are the ones that people need to pay more attention to. Thank you.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

13. Sorry about your dad. I should add that viagra was developed as a cardiac drug.

In clinical trials, they found it wasn't effective as a cardiac drug but very effective at producing erections in men who hadn't had an erection in years.

[BeatleBoot]

5. How does their merger with Wyeth figure into this decision?

:shrug:

Just asking.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

6. Someone higher up on the food chain is going to have to field

this one. I haven't a clue... so say my many detractors.

[FarLeftRage]

9. Pure greed...

Too big to fail...

[lazarus]

8. There's more to it

Pfizer also is expected to announce it will abandon therapies for obesity and bone health to focus on more lucrative areas such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease, WSJ said on its online site.

A Pfizer spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

The New York based company would be leaving an area that includes its flagship $12 billion per year cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor.

The move is part of an effort to restructure the company into business units responsible for their own profits and losses. The plan is expected to include job cuts and a reduction in spending on research and development, according to WSJ.

Pfizer will continue to develop heart medicines in late-stage testing, including an anti-clotting drug it is developing with Bristol-Myers Squibb Co (BMY.N), the Journal said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2941302420080930