Users of Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium), a popular cholesterol-lowering medication produced by Pfizer, have recently been filing an increasing number of dangerous drug product liability lawsuits due to allegations that the medication can cause type-2 diabetes in women.

Plaintiff Toni H., a 55-year old Alabama resident, filed a Lipitor diabetes lawsuit against Pfizer Inc. for physical, economic, and emotional damages resulting from the defendant’s alleged failure to adequately warn about the dangers of their cholesterol-lowering drug.

The plaintiff took Lipitor between September 2005 and June 2015, and has since suffered the onset of type-2 diabetes, which has caused grievous bodily injury. Toni further describes severe economic loss, emotional distress, pain and suffering, and significant loss of enjoyment of life due to the negative Lipitor side effects.

In her complaint, Toni alleges negligence, product liability and design defect, failure to warn, breach of warranty, and fraud and misrepresentation, among other claims. The Lipitor lawsuit indicates a demand for a jury trial.

Lipitor diabetes lawsuits like Toni’s have become increasingly more common since recent studies revealed a potential link between Lipitor, other statin drugs, and the onset of type-2 diabetes.

Lipitor Diabetes Risk

Lipitor was approved to enter the market in 1996, and is now the best-selling prescription drug of all time. Pfizer receives more than $130 billion globally for this drug alone, and it is prescribed for over 29 million Americans.

Lipitor, and other drugs also classified as statins, work by blocking the liver’s ability to produce cholesterol. Lower cholesterol reduces the risk of developing heart disease.

The University of Massachusetts Medical School produced a Lipitor study that looked at 150,000 women taking Lipitor over a number of years, and found that post-menopausal women taking the drug or similar drugs were almost 50 percent more likely to develop type-2 diabetes than those who did not.

Lipitor FDA Warning

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned in 2012 that Lipitor and other similar drugs carry a small risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and further announced a label change on Lipitor packaging to reflect this risk.

The FDA’s warning about potential harmful Lipitor side effects was not just limited to type-2 diabetes, however, the agency continues to assert that the benefits of the medication outweigh potential risks.

Lipitor Lawsuits

Lipitor diabetes lawsuits have grown from a few dozen to hundreds in just a few short months. The plaintiffs in these cases are women who similarly claim that they were never warned by Pfizer of the risk of developing type-2 diabetes from taking their Lipitor medication.

These Lipitor lawsuits also allege that, for women taking Lipitor, the risk of developing type-2 diabetes is greater than it is for men. However, the benefits of Lipitor are actually lesser for women than for men.

Pfizer denies any liability in these cases.

The Lipitor Diabetes Lawsuit is Case No. 2:15-cv-03058-RMG, in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Charleston Division.