Ala. Woman Files Lipitor Diabetes Lawsuit Against Pfizer

An Alabama woman has filed a Lipitor lawsuit against Pfizer Inc. in late October after developing type-2 diabetes allegedly caused by the popular cholesterol medication.

Jean Smith started taking Lipitor in 1998 to help lower her cholesterol, particularly her low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and to help prevent the development of heart disease.She trusted the claims that Pfizer made that its cholesterol medication was effective in treating her cholesterol and preventing more problems from developing. According to her lawsuit, Pfizer failed to warn her and other Lipitor users that the drug can cause type-2 diabetes, especially in older women.

In 1999, Smith was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. She must now submit to regular testing of her blood glucose levels, eat a restrictive diet, and rely on diabetes medication. She also has a much higher chance of developing heart disease, blindness, neuropathy, and kidney disease. She stopped taking Lipitor in 2001.

Until February 2012, Pfizer had not issued any warnings concerning the effects Lipitor had on changes in blood sugar levels. Smith was not aware that her type-2 diabetes may have been caused by her Lipitor use until recently.Lipitor is in the class of drugs known as statins that was developed in the mid 1990s by Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research, which is a division of the Warner-Lambert Company. Warner-Lambert made a co-marketing agreement with Pfizer regarding Lipitor not long after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug to marketed in the United States. In the summer of 2000, Pfizer acquired Warner-Lambert including all rights to Lipitor.

“Despite its knowledge of date indicating that Lipitor is causally related to the development of type-2 diabetes and/or blood glucose levels diagnostic for type-2 diabetes, Pfizer promoted and marketed Lipitor as safe and effective for persons such as Plaintiff throughout the United States, including this judicial district,” the Lipitor lawsuit says.

According to the lawsuit, Pfizer began changing the Lipitor labels in August 2011 after a review was released by the FDA’s Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products.

Pfizer then added a warning to the Lipitor labels in early 2012 saying that the class of drugs that Lipitor belonged was linked to an increase in glucose levels.

However, the Lipitor label still fails to warn patients that the cholesterol medication can lead to type-2 diabetes.

The Alabama woman file this Lipitor lawsuit with her husband Jessie, they are charging Pfizer with failure to warn, negligence, breach of warranty, fraud, unjust enrichment, and loss of consortium on behalf of Mr. Smith, who says it has caused his relationship with his wife to suffer.

The Smiths are suing for punitive damages, general damages, medical expenses related to the diabetes side effects, full refund for the money they paid for Lipitor, compensatory damages, consequential damages, and attorney fees.

The Lipitor lawsuit is Jean Smith et al. v. Pfizer Inc., Case No. 3:13-cv-00807-TFM, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, Eastern Division.

Free Help for Women who Took Lipitor & Developed Diabetes

If you’re a woman who took Lipitor, or you know a woman who took Lipitor, and later developed type-2 diabetes, you have legal options. Please visit the Lipitor Diabetes Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. There, you can submit your claim for a free legal review and if it qualifies for legal action, a seasoned Lipitor lawyer will contact you for a free, no-obligation consultation. You will be guided through the litigation process at no out-of-pocket expenses or hidden fees. The Lipitor attorneys working this investigation do not get paid until you do.