Another Lipitor lawsuit has been filed against Pfizer alleging that its prescription cholesterol-lowering drug directly causes type-2 diabetes.

According to the over 2,000 Lipitor diabetes lawsuits currently pending in the Lipitor multidistrict litigation (MDL), Pfizer knew or should have known about the potential link between Lipitor and type-2 diabetes, yet purposely concealed information from patients and the medical community while aggressively marketing the medication, which became one of the most popular brand name drugs in the country.

Plaintiff Paula J. of New York added her Lipitor lawsuit to the Lipitor MDL in December. Paula contends she was prescribed Lipitor in 2000 to address her health issues.

According to her Lipitor lawsuit, she took Lipitor for approximately six years until 2006 and was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes in 2007. Paula’s Lipitor lawsuit alleges Pfizer knew or should have known that there was a connection between Lipitor and diabetes before it was made publicly available 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, even after the label change, Lipitor’s label still does not adequately warn patients about the risk of type-2 diabetes.

The Lipitor lawsuit further accuses Pfizer of putting profits before patient safety.

Lipitor Diabetes

Lipitor has been linked to an increased risk of type-2 diabetes. A study by the University of Massachusetts showed that women taking Lipitor have a 48 percent higher risk of developing diabetes. The chance of developing diabetes from Lipitor is even higher in women with common risk factors such as obesity.

In February 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration added new warnings to the labels of Lipitor and other cholesterol drugs. The new warnings were based on the results from a study that showed statins may raise blood sugar levels, leading to memory loss and increasing the risk of developing type-2 diabetes.

Lipitor Lawsuits

Pfizer currently faces more than 2,000 type-2 diabetes lawsuits over Lipitor. Lipitor diabetes lawsuits have been centralized before one judge for coordinated handling as part of an MDL in a South Carolina federal court in Charleston under U.S. District Judge Richard M. Gergel.

The Lipitor Diabetes MDL is In Re: Lipitor (Atorvastatin Calcium) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation. The Lipitor Diabetes Lawsuit is Case No. 2:14-cv-03738-RMG, both in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Charleston Division.