Lipitor safety

Lipitor molecule at active site. Source. Istvan ES, Deisenhofer J. Structural mechanism for statin inhibition of HMG—CoA reductase, Science 292 1160 (2001). http //www.fda. gov/medwatch/SAFETY/2004/jul PI/Lipitor PI.pdf [accessed August 20, 2007]. Used with permission.)... 

Black DM, Bakker-Arkema RG, Nawrocki JW. An overview of the clinical safety profile of atorvastatin (Lipitor), a new HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor. Arch Intern Med 1998 158(6) 577-84. 

Nonetheless, if one assumes that all pyrrole-containing drugs are toxic, we would have missed atorvastatin (Lipitor). Atorvastatin is remarkably safe barring the mechanism-based safety concerns such as rhabdomyolysis that are associated with all HMG-CoA inhibitors. Although atorvastatin contains the pyrrole ring, it has at least three factors that strongly attenuate its nucleophilicity. First, it is fully substituted at all... 

Green Biocatalysts for Production of Atorvastatin Codexis, Inc. has developed an enzyme-based process that has greatly improved the yield, efficiency, and safety record for manufacture of atorvastatin, the key building block for Lipitor , one of the world s best-selling drugs, that lowers cholesterol by blocking its synthesis in the liver. The new enzymatic process is dramatically faster and more efficient than previous methods, and also reduces cyanide-related waste, the use of solvents, and the need for purification equipment. 

---