Pfizer announced Saturday it is pulling the plug on development of a highly-anticipated drug to treat high cholesterol because of an unfortunate side effect.
People taking the drug died.
Pfizer Inc. said Saturday it has cut off all clinical trials and development for a cholesterol drug that was supposed to be the star of its pipeline because of an unexpected number of deaths and cardiovascular problems in patients who used it.The world's largest drugmaker said it was told Saturday that an independent board monitoring a study for torcetrapib, a drug that raises levels of HDL, or what's commonly known as good cholesterol, recommended that the work end because of "an imbalance of mortality and cardiovascular events."
Pfizer said it is asking all clinical investigators conducting trials to warn patients to stop taking the drug immediately.
The news is devastating to Pfizer, which had been counting on the drug to revitalize stagnant sales that have been hurt by numerous patent expirations on key products.
Not as devastating as it was to the people who died.
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