Lipitor, which went off patent in 2011, stayed on top for the fourth consecutive year in BioSpectrum Top 10 Products List of the the Asia Pacific pharmaceutical market. Lipitor recorded a growth of 5.6 percent and increased its sales revenue to $1.06 billion in 2011 from $938 million in 2010 and $806 million in 2009.

Crestor emerged as the second hottest selling drug in Asia Pacific surpassing Plavix, which has been on the second position for the past three years. Crestor boasted of a revenue figure of $579.1 million, registering a growth of 16.8 percent from 2010. Lipitor and Crestor also maintained their top positions in Australia market with revenue of $617.3 million and $363 million, respectively.

Plavix secured the third position in 2011 with a revenue figure of $532.8 million, a decline of 6.7 percent in revenue when compared with 2010. Plavix, an anti-plated medicine developed by Sanofi-aventis, is the only product in the list of top 10 products in the Asia Pacific region that has registered a negative growth during the year.

Lipitor, which is manufactured by Pfizer, is a blockbuster drug prescribed for lowering cholesterol and for reducing the risk of cardio attacks and strokes. Australia, New Zealand and Thailand have been the most promising market for Lipitor, garnering $711 million in 2011. Moreover, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan have also emerged as prime consumers of this blockbuster drug and have shown an increase in demand.

AstraZeneca's Crestor has been among the top three pharma products in the Asia Pacific region for the past three years and has reinforced its position with greater sales in 2011. It is prescribed to lower high cholesterol and also to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in people without known heart disease. In 2011, Australia surfaced as the main consumer of Crestor, resulting in revenue figures of $363 million in 2011.