the house committee on energy and commerce is investigating dr. robert jarvik's role as pitchman for the pfizer cholesterol drug lipitor, out of concern that the campaign may be misleading.
jarvik, best known for the artificial heart he pioneered more than a quarter-century ago, began appearing in television ads two years ago for the drug, with the ads depicting him in outdoor activities such as rowing a one-man racing shell swiftly across a mountain lake while saying that lipitor significantly lowers cholesterol when diet and exercise aren't enough, reported the new york times. the lipitor campaign is a rare instance of a well-known doctor's endorsing a drug in direct-to-consumer advertising, while the committee's questions involve jarvik's qualifications to recommend lipitor on television: although jarvik holds a medical degree, he is not a cardiologist and is not licensed to practice medicine, while a stunt double was used to depict jarvik rowing, the times noted. the committee, chaired by rep. john dingell (d-mich.), is looking into when and why jarvik began taking lipitor and whether the advertisements give the public a false impression, the times added.
