Congress Investigates Use of Dr. Jarvik in Lipitor Ads

[Pharma Newshound]

Source: WSJ Health Blog

Congress to Pfizer: Why is Robert Jarvik the Lipitor Man?
Posted by Shirley S. Wang

Who can turn around these days without seeing an ad for Lipitor that features medical pitchman Robert Jarvik, inventor of an artificial heart?

We can’t. We compared Jarvik to the ubiquitous Verizon Test Man in a previous post. Now Congress has seen enough of Jarvik to ask Pfizer some questions about his qualifications to be recommending the cholesterol buster.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce said today that it is investigating the use of celebrity endorsements in marketing prescription drugs directly to consumers. And Jarvik is Celebrity No. 1 on the list.

Jarvik’s pioneering work in artificial hearts led to the implantation of the first device intended to be a long-term substitute for a human heart. In 1982, the first recipient, retired dentist Barney Clark, was kept alive for more than 100 days with a Jarvik heart. But does that accomplishment and Jarvik’s subsequent work on developing better replacements for the vital organ qualify him to recommend a drug? Research in the lab is one thing; treating everyday patients with high cholesterol is quite another.

“In the ads, Dr. Jarvik appears to be giving medical advice, but apparently, he has never obtained a license to practice or prescribe medicine,” John Dingell (D-Mich.), chairman of the committee, said in a press release.

Dingell’s not the first to ask questions. NBC’s science guru Robert Bazell wrote last year that while Jarvik is an M.D., he doesn’t have “the strongest credentials.” His grades as an undergrad at Syracuse University weren’t good enough for U.S. med school, so he attended the University of Bologna in Italy, leaving after two years. In 1976, Jarvik graduated from the University of Utah’s med school, but he never did an internship or practiced medicine, Bazell wrote.

Nonetheless, Jarvik’s presence appears to have helped shore up Lipitor sales, which were $13 billion in 2006. Generic simvastatin, Merck’s old Zocor, have put pressure on Lipitor.

Read the letter here that went to Pfizer CEO Jeff Kindler today. Dingell and company want Pfizer to submit all records of the advertising campaign for Lipitor involving Jarvik, any financial records or other associations between the doctor and the company, as well as records regarding Jarvik’s qualifications and why he was selected as a spokesman for Liptor. Pfizer has two weeks to respond.

Early this evening, a Pfizer spokesman wrote us by email:

Dr. Jarvik is a respected health care professional and heart expert. Dr. Jarvik, inventor of the Jarvik artificial heart, knows how imperative it is for patients to do everything they can to keep their heart working well. Furthermore, the advertising advises consumers to speak to their physicians about their heart health. The communication in the advertising helps educate consumers that it is important to keep the heart healthy including, if necessary, using medications that have been proven to maintain heart health.

[Pharma Newshound]

Source: Committee on Energy and Commerce

Washington, D.C. - Reps. John D. Dingell (D-MI), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Bart Stupak (D-MI), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, announced today that they are opening an investigation into the use of celebrity endorsements of prescription medications in direct-to-consumer advertising, specific to Dr. Robert Jarvik’s appearance in Pfizer’s Lipitor Commercials.

“We are concerned that consumers might be misled by Pfizer’s television ads for Lipitor starring Dr. Jarvik,” said Dingell. “In the ads, Dr. Jarvik appears to be giving medical advice, but apparently, he has never obtained a license to practice or prescribe medicine.”

“Dr. Jarvik’s appearance in the ads could influence consumers into taking the medical advice of someone who may not be licensed to practice medicine in the United States,” said Stupak. “Americans with heart disease should make medical decisions based on consultations with their doctors, not on paid advertisements during a commercial break.”

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