Dr Reddy's files for marketing Lipitor generic

Dr Reddy's Laboratories has filed for marketing a generic version of Pfizer's cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor in the U.S., the company said on Saturday.

"We have filed an ANDA (abbreviated new drug filing) for atrovastatin and notified Pfizer accordingly," Dr Reddy's told Reuters in response to an email query.

Earlier on Saturday, the Business Standard newspaper reported that Dr Reddy's had developed a generic version for Lipitor, and along with its U.S. subsidiary, had informed Pfizer about applying to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for marketing the drug.

Lipitor is the world's largest selling drug, with global sales of $8.3 billion in the last nine months. So far, Ranbaxy is the only other Indian drugmaker to develop a generic for the drug, whose U.S. patent expires in 2010.

Under a settlement with Pfizer, Ranbaxy has agreed to launch its generic by November 2011.

(Reporting by Prashant Mehra;Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)