A Missouri resident is the latest to join the growing Lipitor multidistrict litigation over claims that the cholesterol-lowering medication caused type-2 diabetes.

Plaintiff Terry W. claims she starting taking Lipitor in 2007 only to develop type-2 diabetes four years later.

Multidistrict litigations are a manageable way for the courts to handle large amounts of similar cases. Unlike a Lipitor class action lawsuit, plaintiffs who join a Lipitor MDL maintain their individual lawsuit while benefiting from similar discovery and bellwether trials available to the combined litigation.

Multidistrict litigations help the court system manage mass torts in an efficient manner. Often times when civil lawsuits against a drug manufacturer grow into hundreds or thousands of similar cases, a MDL can move the legal process along in a timely and cost effective way.

Terry is suing Lipitor manufacturer Pfizer over allegations of unjust enrichment, negligent misrepresentation, design defect and failure to warn.

The individual Lipitor Lawsuit is Case No. 2:15-cv-04416-RMG  and the Lipitor MDL is In re: Lipitor (Atorvastatin Calcium) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation Case No. 2:14-mn-02502-RMG  MDL No. 2502 in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Charleston Division.

Lipitor Diabetes Health Risks

Lipitor was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1996 to help patients lower their levels of cholesterol. The drug is extremely popular with overall sales reaching upward of $130 billion.

However, by 2012 the FDA began requiring Pfizer to update its Lipitor warning label to include the risk of a diabetes side effect.

Lipitor diabetes symptoms include:

• Frequent urination
• Blurred vision
• Unexplained weight loss
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Slow-healing sores or frequent infections
• Areas of darkened skin
• Increased thirst
• Increased hunger (especially after eating)
• Dry mouth

In a 2012 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers found a 50 percent increased risk of type-2 diabetes side effects in women using Lipitor between the ages of 50-79.

Lipitor consumers who have filed a lawsuit against the drug manufacturer Pfizer claim that even with the modification to the label, it still does not adequately warn of the significant diabetes risks linked to the cholesterol medication.

Lipitor Type-2 Diabetes Lawsuit

More than 2,300 Lipitor lawsuits are currently centralized in the multidistrict litigation in South Carolina. All of the pending Lipitor lawsuits claim that drug manufacturer Pfizer not only hid the potential side effect from consumers but also did not adequately change their warning label as mandated by the FDA to include the diabetic risk.

In general, plaintiffs who have filed a Lipitor lawsuit allege that Pfizer knew, or should have reasonably known, that the medication could lead to diabetes but intentionally omitted the information from the label in order to boost sales.

If you developed diabetes after taking Lipitor, you may have legal claim. Contact a Lipitor attorney to find out if you should file as an individual, or if you are eligible for a Lipitor class action lawsuit investigation.