Ind-Swift, Wockhardt launch generic Lipitor in UK

Drugmakers Ind-Swift and Wockhardt have jointly launched a generic version of Pfizer's cholesterol lowering drug Lipitor in the United Kingdom, the two companies said.

The copycat version was launched on the first day of patent expiry in the UK, they said in a statement late on Wednesday. Lipitor, chemically known as atorvastatin, is the world's top selling drug with market size of about $16 billion, they said.

Ranbaxy Laboratories, India's top drugmaker, already sells generic Lipitor in four European countries - Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Sweden.