BNET -- Pfizer (PFE)’s plan to sell a chewable version of Lipitor, its bestselling cholesterol drug, for children in Europe is a clue to how the company might manage its portfolio of blockbusters once they lose the patent protection that currently gives them exclusive marketing rights. There’s a technical reason why Pfizer wants “Lipitor Chewables for Kids”* on the market (aside from everyone’s natural desire to see a Flintstones statin box the on the shelves): By doing the necessary tests to show the medicine is safe and effective in kids, Pfizer can earn another six months of protection against competition from cheap generic versions of the drug.
