Lipitor vs. Zocor
Millions of patients in the U.S. use cholesterol lowering drugs like Lipitor (made by Pfizer) or Zocor (made by Merck) in an effort to lower heart disease risk. Last year, the patent protection for Zocor expired and the generic form of it called simvastatin was put on the market. Since generic simvastatin became available, health insurers have been pressuring doctors and patients to switch from brand name cholesterol lowering drugs like Lipitor to this similar and much cheaper generic form of Zocor.
Price is the main reason people are switching to the generic simvastatin. Currently it costs about $2 per day for Lipitor, but with the generic brand it is closer to 35 cents or less. Switching over could save billions of dollars in health care costs.
Both Lipitor and Zocor are from a drug class called statins. Statins work by inhibiting the enzyme that produces cholesterol. Other cholesterol-lowering drugs from this class include Crestor (rosuvastatin), Pravachol (pravastatin), Lescol (fluvastatin), and Mevacor (lovastatin).
Compared to Lipitor, Zocor (simvastatin) is less potent. Therefore, if you were taking 10 mg of Lipitor, you would have to take 20 mg of the generic Zocor. Currently, the highest dose you can get of Zocor is 80 mg (equal to 40 mg of Lipitor). This means that if you are presently taking more than 40 mg of Lipitor you will not be able to get a strong enough dose. For most people this shouldn’t be a problem.
By law, the generic version of Zocor is required to contain the same active ingredients as the brand name. They also have to the same dosage, potency, quality, function, and approval from the FDA.
Both Lipitor and Zocor share similar side effects because they are from the same statin drug class. Not all of the side effects are known; some patients experience headache, muscle pain and weakness, muscle tissue breakdown (rhabdomyolysis), memory loss, postoperative delirium, and others. (For more side effects check out: Five Biggest Risk Factors in Taking Lipitor or Other Statins)
What do you think? Have you experienced any differences since switching to the generic form of Zocor? Please share your experiences!