Lipitor is Available as Generic Atorvastin Calcium

Lipitor lost patent protection on November 30, 2011. This means that manufacturers other than Pfizer are able to produce generic versions of atorvastatin to compete with Liptor. Generics generally compete on price with brand name drugs, forcing the brand name manufacturer to lower the price, which benefits consumers. While generic drugs are designed to be "bio-equivalent" to the name brand product, the inactive ingredients may vary. Some people are sensitive to the variances, so may prefer to stay with the brand name product, but most patients will not notice a difference.

The generic version of Lipitor is marketed as atorvastatin calcium, the chemical name of Lipitor. Generic drug manufacturers Mylan, Sandoz, and Apotex have all received FDA approval to manufacture and market atorvastatin calcium,

Generic Lipitor may just be labeled atorvastatin calcium, but it can also be found under brand names such as Stator, Atoris, Atorlip,Mactor, Lipvas, Sortis, Torvast, Torvacard, Totalip, and Tulip.

To combat the loss of market share that might arise from generic competition, Lipitor introduced a $4 Prescription Copay card. While it is called a Copay card, patients don't need health insurance to use it. The card can be used to ensure that your out of pocket costs will be no more than $4 for a 30 day supply of Lipitor. Patients with private insurance are generally eligible for the program, but patients receiving Medicare, Medicaid, or who are covered by insurance that pays 100% of prescription drug costs.

The application for the card can be found online at lipitor.com.