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WASHINGTON — Robert Jarvik, the inventor of an artificial heart, was paid $1.3 million over two years for his role in a television commercial for Pfizer’s cholesterol drug Lipitor.
Jarvik defended his role in the commercial, canceled by Pfizer after a congressional committee raised questions about his credentials, in a statement Tuesday. Jarvik, 61, said he is qualified to tout Lipitor because of his career developing artificial hearts.
He said he has a medical degree, though he isn’t a licensed physician because he didn’t take a medical internship.
