“Lipitor not sold out”, Pfizer clarifies rumors

“Lipitor supply in normal state, investigating the origin of the rumor”

Pharmacies hoarding drugs with rumor of Lipitor selling out

Rumors of cholesterol lowering treatment Lipitor tablet going out of stock have been spreading throughout major pharmacies, but its company clarified the rumor is false.

 

Pfizer Upjohn Korea on Tuesday told Daily Pharm that the manufacturing of Lipitor 10 mg tablet (28BLP/ 90BLT) has no issue at the moment.

 

The company’s statement was an answer to the recent Lipitor stock-out rumor spreading among pharmacies.

 

Apparently, the talk of Lipitor going out of stock until next year was looming from pharmacists on social media channels and triggered some pharmacies to start hoarding the product.

 

With a temporary spike in order volume, a certain distributor had to notify their salespeople to explain about the situation of pharmaceutical distributors and online shops having scarce stock of the drug to their designated pharmacies.

 

The distributor informed their salespeople that “Lipitor has been sold out due to a baseless false rumor.

 

It has affected all distributors in Korea.

 

As temporary demand in other products has been increasing as well, please visit designated pharmacies to explain the situation”.

 

The whole situation has caught the global company by surprise.

 

The company has been ordinarily manufacturing and supplying the item, when the order has exponentially hiked because of the rumor.

 

Pfizer Upjohn Korea official told, “As of afternoon of Dec.

 

16, Lipitor 10 mg supply is in a normal state.

 

The company has confirmed Lipitor’s stock in some pharmacies have been sold out.

 

To minimize inconvenience of doctor, pharmacist and patient, the company is in process of studying the origin of the rumor and resolving it”.

 

The company also explained the drug is supplied based on market demand projection and it notifies the public when it predicts drug stock-out from plausible cause.

 

“The company provides products considering a projection based on multiple years of collected market supply and demand data.

 

Accordingly, supply amount is regularly monitored.

 

When the company expects a setback in supply process, the company informs organizations of distributor and pharmacist to minimize turmoil in the market”, the official elaborated.

 

“Pfizer Upjohn Korea would continue to strive for stable supply of drug”, the company official added.