Pfizer announced that the FDA has approved Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) tablets to reduce the risk of non-fatal heart attacks, fatal and non-fatal strokes, certain types of heart surgery, hospitalization for heart failure, and chest pain in patients with heart disease. Lipitor is the first cholesterol-lowering medication to receive FDA approval for the reduction of the risk of hospitalization for heart failure. This new approval expands the use of Lipitor to patients at high risk for cardiovascular events because of established heart disease such as prior heart attack, prior heart surgery or chest pain with evidence of clogged arteries. Previously, Lipitor was approved to reduce cardiovascular events in patients without heart disease.