UP TO 30 medical sales jobs are to go at Pfizer’s Irish operations, as the company prepares for one of its key products, Lipitor, coming off patent in Europe next summer. The cholesterol-lowering drug – the largest selling prescription drug in history – came off patent in the US at the end of last month. Redundancies are to start in January. A spokeswoman for the company confirmed that “between 20 and 30” staff, who sell products to GPs and hospitals, are to lose their jobs. While the expected drop in sales of Lipitor was one of the reasons for the job losses, she said that a “much tougher business environment”, and a downward pressure on prices due to Government measures, were also behind the decision.
