Pfizer to pull Lipitor ads

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said Tuesday it is canceling a Lipitor television ad campaign after a congressional committee questioned its authenticity.

The ads for the No. 1 selling drug in the world -- with sales of $12.7 billion last year -- feature Dr. Robert Jarvik, who isn't a cardiologist nor a licensed doctor, The New York Times reported.

Nor is Jarvik, a rower, although the ads feature Jarvik -- albeit with a body double -- rowing across a mountain lake.

Early versions of the ads also claimed Jarvik is the inventor of the artificial heart, which former colleagues said was misleading. Jarvik is credited with making improvements on the artificial heart but the credit for the invention should go to Drs. Willem J. Kolff and Tetsuzo Akutsu, colleagues said.

The ads were changed to say he invented, "the Jarvik artificial heart."

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is still pushing ahead with its investigation, the report said.

But, U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., said: "I commend Pfizer. When consumers see and hear a doctor endorsing medication, they expect the doctor is a credible individual with requisite knowledge of the drug."