According to the sources provided, generic Lipitor is as effective as the brand name drug.

Lipitor is a cholesterol-lowering medication that contains the active ingredient atorvastatin. The brand name drug was first approved by the FDA in 1996 and was protected by patents until 2011 [1]. Generic versions of Lipitor have been available since then.

The active ingredient in generic Lipitor is also atorvastatin, and it works in the same way as the brand name drug to lower cholesterol levels in the blood [2]. In fact, the FDA requires that generic drugs be equivalent to their brand name counterparts in terms of safety, effectiveness, and quality [3].

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology found that generic atorvastatin was just as effective as brand name Lipitor in reducing LDL cholesterol levels [4]. The study analyzed data from 37,000 patients who switched from brand name to generic atorvastatin and found no significant difference in cholesterol-lowering effectiveness or safety between the two drugs.

In conclusion, based on the sources provided, generic Lipitor is just as effective as the brand name drug in lowering cholesterol levels and has been approved by the FDA as equivalent in terms of safety, effectiveness, and quality.

Sources:
[1] https://www.drugpatentwatch.com/p/tradename/LIPITOR
[2] https://www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/lipitor
[3] https://www.fda.gov/drugs/generic-drugs/generic-drug-facts
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4859299/