Pfizer Pulls Hypertension Drug Over Liver Injuries

(Dow Jones Newswire) — Pfizer Inc. (PFE) withdrew hypertension drug Thelin from Europe and other regions following the reports of at least three deaths from liver injuries in users of the drug.

Pfizer said one death occurred in the U.K. last year, and two during 2010–one in the Ukraine and one in India.

The New York drug maker said it’s also halting all clinical trials of the drug world-wide. It is the latest in a series of research and product setbacks for Pfizer, which is struggling to offset a looming wave of drug patent expirations that will expose the company to sales-eroding generic competition.

The product withdrawal also ratchets up pressure on Pfizer’s brand new chief executive, Ian Read, who took the helm after Jeffrey Kindler unexpectedly retired earlier this week.

Pfizer shares were recently up 9 cents to $16.85.

The direct impact of the withdrawal is relatively small; sales of the drug were only $44.4 million for the first nine months of 2010, a Pfizer spokesman said, a fraction of total company sales.

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