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Lipitor’s patent loss signals future for other top drugs
If the patent cliff were a sports team, Pfizer’s cholesterol- lowering drug Lipitor (atorvastatin) would be its mascot. Because it’s the top-selling drug, well, ever — with 2010 sales well in excess of $7 billion in the United States alone — Lipitor’s loss of patent protection on Nov. 30, 2011, didn’t start or end the patent cliff but in many ways symbolized it.
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Bristol-Myers Squibb donates $6.9 million to benefit cancer patients
PRINCETON, N.J. — Drug maker Bristol-Myers Squibb has donated $6.9 million to a nonprofit group that helps people pay for medical treatments, the company said.
Bristol made the donation to the HealthWell Foundation, which provides financial assistance to eligible people for covering co-insurance, co-payments, healthcare premiums and deductibles for certain treatments. The drug maker's donation is targeted toward underinsured cancer patients.