Ashley Milano  |  December 19, 2014

Category: Legal News

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Lipitor diabetes lawsuit

A Lipitor lawsuit has been filed alleging that drug giant Pfizer Inc. negligently misrepresented its prescription cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) and that the drug causes type-2 diabetes.

According to the Lipitor diabetes lawsuit, Pfizer knew or should have known about the potential link between Lipitor and type-2 diabetes, yet withheld information from consumers and the medical community while turning the medication into one of the most widely used brand name drugs in the country.

Among the most recent Lipitor diabetes lawsuits is that of North Carolina resident, plaintiff Ruth R., filed in a South Carolina federal court in November. Ruth contends she was prescribed Lipitor in 2003 to lower her high cholesterol for a period of about 11 years. In 2007, Ruth was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes allegedly as a result of taking Lipitor.

Ruth’s Lipitor lawsuit alleges Pfizer knew or should have known that there was a connection between the drug and diabetes before it was made available to the public in 1997. Instead, a warning was only added to the product labeling in February 2012, after the FDA’s Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products requested that a warning be provided for consumers and the medical community.

However, this warning only says that there was an increase in the risk between Lipitor and an increase in glucose levels, but does not mention type-2 diabetes.

Because of this, several Lipitor lawsuits have said that Pfizer is still failing to warn customers of the diabetes risk.

Ruth’s Lipitor lawsuit accuses Pfizer of putting profits before patient safety and further alleges that even after the label change, the drug’s label still does not adequately warn patients about the risk of type-2 diabetes.

FDA Warns Of Lipitor Diabetes Risk

In February 2012, the FDA released a statement on Lipitor and statins. The agency warned that patients taking these drugs may have an increased risk of developing high blood sugar levels and type-2 diabetes, and announced that changes will be made to the drugs’ labeling to reflect this concern.

According to an FDA spokesperson, prescribing doctors should assess patients’ blood sugar levels after they have started treatment with Lipitor or another statin.

Lipitor Lawsuits

Pfizer currently faces more than 700 Lipitor type-2 diabetes lawsuits. A federal judicial panel selected to centralize the Lipitor diabetes cases in a multidistrict litigation, or MDL, in the District of South Carolina, Charleston Division.

These Lipitor lawsuits have been assigned to the Honorable Richard M. Gergel for coordinated discovery and pretrial matters. MDLs are frequently confused with class action lawsuits however, they differ in that each complaint remains separate, while benefiting from the same discovery processes and coordination.

The Lipitor Diabetes Lawsuit was added to the Lipitor MDL, In Re: Lipitor (Atorvastatin Calcium) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2:14-mn-02502-RMG, in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Charleston Division.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The Lipitor attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or Lipitor class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, Lipitor lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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Join a Free Lipitor Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you’re a woman who was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes while taking Lipitor, or were diagnosed with diabetes within 90 days or less of your last dose of Lipitor, you may be eligible for compensation. See if you qualify by filling out the short form below.

An attorney will contact you if you qualify to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you.

 

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Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.