The Lipitor multidistrict litigation (MDL) continues to grow, with an Illinois woman recently filing a Lipitor lawsuit alleging the statin medication caused her to develop type-2 diabetes.

The Lipitor MDL contains more than 1,300 lawsuits alleging the statin drug caused plaintiffs to develop type-2 diabetes.

This Lipitor lawsuit is one of of 1,300 consolidated into the Lipitor MDL filed in South Carolina.

Plaintiff Geralynn M. filed the Lipitor lawsuit against Pfizer Inc., the manufacturer of the popular cholesterol medication. Geralynn took the statin drug for a little over five years beginning in June 2008 and ending in December 2013. The 55-year-old plaintiff was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes in May 2013.

Geralynn alleges that Lipitor caused her type-2 diabetes and that the condition caused her emotional distress, pain and suffering, and economic losses. The Lipitor lawsuit brings claims of negligence, misrepresentation, defective design, failure to warn, breach of express and implied warranty, fraud and misrepresentation, constructive fraud, and unjust enrichment.

Lipitor Type-2 Diabetes

Many women have developed type-2 diabetes after using Lipitor. While high cholesterol (which Lipitor is prescribed to treat) can cause a predisposition to type-2 diabetes, studies have suggested that Lipitor use may lead to an increased risk of developing type-2 diabetes. One study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that women between 50 and 79 years of age were 48 percent more likely to develop type-2 diabetes if they use a statin drug such as Lipitor. 

Pfizer, however, failed to include type-2 diabetes on the Lipitor warning label until 2012 when the FDA required the company to do so. By that point, countless individuals had been put at risk of developing the disease without knowing that they were even at risk.

Signs of Lipitor type-2 diabetes may include:

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

Many victims such as Geralynn have chosen to file a Lipitor lawsuit or to join a Lipitor MDL. A Lipitor lawsuit may help plaintiffs win compensation for the pain and suffering caused by the type-2 diabetes they will be forced to manage for the remainder of their life, as well as medical bills.

This Lipitor MDL is In Re: Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2:14-mn-02502, Civil Action No. 2:15-cv-1795 filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Charleston Division.