A Lipitor lawsuit joined the Lipitor multidistrict litigation (MDL) that has been consolidated in South Carolina, and was filed by an 80-year-old woman who claims the popular Pfizer drug caused her to develop type-2 diabetes.

In December 1999, Ohio resident Mary V. was prescribed Lipitor, a drug used to treat high cholesterol and lower the risk for heart attack and stroke. She took the drug for more than a decade, finally stopping Lipitor use in March 2012. Mary was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes in April 2000, according to the Lipitor diabetes lawsuit.

Mary claims in her Lipitor lawsuit that Pfizer has caused her to suffer “severe and permanent physical and emotional injuries including, but not limited to, the development of type-2 diabetes as a result of her ingestion of of the prescription drug Lipitor.” 

The Lipitor lawsuit has several claims against Pfizer including failure to warn/product liability, design defect, breach of implied warranty, fraud and misrepresentation. Mary is seeking punitive damages.

The Lipitor MDL includes claims from other plaintiffs who have charged Pfizer with counts of negligence, misrepresentation, wrongful death, and unjust enrichment.

An MDL is often used to consolidate several lawsuits so that the legal process could be smoother and information more efficiently processed. Plaintiffs often have the same or similar claims against the same defendant.

Lipitor and Type-2 Diabetes

In January 2012, a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that women ages 50-70 who took statin drugs like Lipitor were nearly 50 percent more likely to develop type-2 diabetes. Following this study, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration forced Pfizer to change the warning label to include the Lipitor type-2 diabetes risks.

Previously, the FDA claimed that the risk of Lipitor type-2 diabetes was small and suggested it was not worth much concern. Scripps Clinic cardiologist Eric J. Topol called the FDA announcement “long overdue,” but added that “the information that we have does not support that this is a ‘small’ problem.” Topol examined the diabetes risk linked to statin drugs in The New York Times.

Some women have a higher risk of developing Lipitor type-2 diabetes. Factors such as weight, blood sugar, and family history can increase the risk of Lipitor side effects.

Symptoms of Lipitor type-2 diabetes include but are not limited to increased thirst, dry mouth, increased hunger, frequent urination, and unexplained weight loss. This kind of diabetes is not curable, but is not deadly if treated.

Many women have allegedly developed type-2 diabetes as a result of taking Lipitor. The Lipitor lawsuit includes several claims against Pfizer, saying that Pfizer failed to warn users about Lipitor side effects. 

This Lipitor Diabetes Lawsuit is Case No. 2:14-cv-5580, in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Charleston Division.