Women over the country who took Lipitor and developed type-2 diabetes may soon lose their opportunity to sue for their injuries. According to federal and state statutes of limitations, patients who developed type-2 diabetes before Feb. 1, 2012 after taking Lipitor may no longer have the option of suing after February 2014, depending on the state they live in. Victims are encouraged to speak with a Lipitor diabetes lawyer to see what their options are.

Lipitor (atorvastatin) is a cholesterol-lowering medication manufactured by Pfizer Inc., and is the best-selling drug in pharmaceutical history.  It was first approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996 to lower bad cholesterol levels in patients who were at risk for heart disease and stroke. It has since been prescribed to millions of people around the world, encouraging them to experience a healthier and longer lifestyle. However, recent studies have linked statins like Lipitor to causing type-2 diabetes in women.

The patients who were most affected by Lipitor type-2 diabetes were postmenopausal women who had taken the medication for more than one year. Each of these women alleges that neither they nor their physicians were made aware of the possibility of developing type-2 diabetes. Pfizer did not update the drug’s label to include the Lipitor diabetes risk until 2012, so countless men and women had unknowingly exposed themselves to this risk.

The statute of limitations essentially means that every case must be filed by a certain date in order for the charges to remain valid. Many legal experts predict that Pfizer will argue that the statute of limitations should have started running in February 2012, because that was when the indication of the change of blood-sugar levels had been added to the drug’s label. The plaintiffs’ lawyers will most likely argue that because the warnings were insufficient, the incoming complaints may be filed over the coming weeks even in states with the two-year statute of limitations to ensure their cases do not get wrongfully dismissed.

The plaintiffs who have filed Lipitor lawsuits allege Pfizer purposely omitted this information for a long period of time to protect its profit margin. Additionally, the wording of their updated warning is composed of scientific language that is not easily understood, and it does not explicitly mention the possibility of type-2 diabetes. Many women state that they would not have used Lipitor if they had been aware of the possibility of developing type-2 diabetes. The charges against Pfizer include negligence, false advertising, concealing information and misrepresenting a product.

Lipitor Litigation Movement

Currently, 100 Lipitor diabetes lawsuits are pending in courtrooms throughout the United States. Recently, there was a motion to grant a group of Lipitor lawsuits multidistrict litigation (MDL) status, in front of the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML). Though the JPML initially rejected the motion, the panel has agreed to hear oral arguments in a renewed motion on Jan. 30, 2014.

This Notice of Hearing Session will review 56 lawsuits pending in federal courts throughout the country, each alleging that that Lipitor caused the plaintiffs to develop type-2 diabetes. The plaintiffs are requesting that the cases be moved to MDL status to expedite the litigation process and to reduce the legal costs.

The Lipitor MDL In Re: Lipitor (Atorvastatin Calcium) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2459, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.