on Apr 4th, 2006Dr. Robert Jarvik, Inventor and Lipitor Huckster
Do you know this man? He’s Dr. Robert Jarvik, the inventor of the artificial heart that has saved millions of lives. He’s also the pitchman for Pfizer’s cholesterol drug, Lipitor. While it may be true that the average heart beats two billion times, get a load of the average annual sales from Lipitor: $13 billion and counting.
I’m not sure what Dr. Jarvik makes off the patents on his artificial heart inventions, but damn, I’ll bet he wished he had invented Lipitor instead.
Click here to visit Dr. Jarvik
A TV spot shows Dr. Robert Jarvik, inventor of the artificial heart, rowing on a placid, picturesque lake. It cuts to him addressing the camera directly, as he says, “The average heart beats two billion times. The heart is amazing. But high cholesterol can clog arteries and lead to heart disease. Lipitor can help. When diet and exercise aren’t enough, adding Lipitor significantly lowers bad cholesterol.”
The campaign will be a closely watched one, as the brand is Pfizer’s crown jewel. In addition to Lipitor being the top-selling drug in the world, with nearly $13 billion in sales, the campaign was backed last year by $102 million in ad spend, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus.
Pfizer Launches New Lipitor Effort
By Jim Edwards
Brand Week, March 31, 2006