The 2,500 pending Lipitor lawsuits consolidated into a multidistrict litigation in South Carolina are moving forward, with the first bellwether trial set to go before a jury in November. In a multidistrict litigation, bellwether trials are a way to determine how a potential jury might respond to evidence that could be repeated throughout the litigation.

The first Lipitor MDL trial involves plaintiff Wilma D. of Colorado, who claims the popular cholesterol medication caused her to develop type-2 diabetes. Although the outcome of this particular Lipitor diabetes lawsuit will not necessarily affect the other thousands of pending Lipitor cases, both plaintiffs and lawyers will watch the case closely as it may indicate what overall direction Lipitor manufacturer Pfizer will take, including possible settlements.

Lipitor Type-2 Diabetes Lawsuits

All of the pending Lipitor type-2 diabetes lawsuits make similar accusations against Pfizer, including that the manufacturer knew or should have known that Lipitor may cause an increased risk of developing type-2 diabetes, and that Pfizer intentionally concealed the risk information in order to boost sales.

According to Wilma’s Lipitor lawsuit, the cholesterol medication that she took as a preventative measure ended up leaving her with a serious Lipitor side effect — diabetes. 

Plaintiff Wilma claims that she was at a healthy weight and had no reason to believe she was at risk of developing diabetes when she began taking Lipitor. However, according to the plaintiff she now has to follow a strict diabetes diet and regulate her blood glucose levels after developing Lipitor diabetes.

Legal experts speculate that Pfizer attorneys will argue that Wilma had a number of diabetes risk factors, including high blood pressure, a family history of diabetes and a long history of smoking.

Lipitor Diabetes Risk

Recent studies have indicated a link between the cholesterol medication Lipitor and type-2 diabetes. In an international study performed by Finish researchers, data suggested that Lipitor patients increased their risk of developing type-2 diabetes by 50 percent.

Lipitor diabetes symptoms include:

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

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration began requiring Pfizer to include a diabetes risk on Lipitor warning labels in 2012, but those filing Lipitor lawsuits claim even the added warning wasn’t strong enough.

Of the thousands of Lipitor lawsuits filed so far, some plaintiffs claim it took years for them to develop type-2 diabetes as a Lipitor side effect, while others taking the medication allege it only took a few months.

If you developed type-2 diabetes while taking Lipitor, contact a Lipitor attorney to find out if you have legal claim.