A Lipitor lawsuit filed by an Alabama couple alleges the cholesterol medication caused the development of type-2 diabetes.

This recently filed case joins more than 2,300 other Lipitor lawsuits centralized into a multidistrict litigation in South Carolina.

Plaintiffs Virginia and Frank S. are suing manufacturer Pfizer for failing to warn that Lipitor carried an increased risk of developing type-2 diabetes as a side effect. Plaintiff Virginia claims that she has suffered severe and permanent physical and emotional injuries.

The Lipitor lawsuit states that the cholesterol medication caused Virginia to suffer physical injuries, emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life.

Virginia and Frank allege Pfizer is liable for negligent misrepresentation, design defect and unjust enrichment. Frank joined the Lipitor lawsuit as a co-plaintiff, and is suing for loss of consortium, which means loss of intimacy.

Lipitor Type-2 Diabetes Risk

Numerous Lipitor diabetes studies have linked the cholesterol medication to an increased risk for developing type-2 diabetes. In a Lipitor study published in the March 2015 medical journal Diabetologia, researchers found the medication increases the likelihood of developing type-2 diabetes by nearly 50 percent.

In this Diabetologia study, almost 9,000 patients between the ages of 45 and 73 were followed up with over the course of six years.  Researchers found that those taking the statin drug Lipitor increased their risk of type-2 diabetes by 46 percent. 

Likewise, another study published in the 2012 Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers concluded that female Lipitor consumers between the ages of 50-79 had a 50 percent increased risk of developing type-2 diabetes when compared to non users.

Lipitor type-2 diabetes symptoms include:

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

In 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required Pfizer to include a diabetes warning on Lipitor’s label. However, those who have filed Lipitor lawsuits claim that even the required label change does not fully warn of the increased risk of developing type-2 diabetes as a side effect.

Lipitor Diabetes Lawsuits

Lipitor lawsuits alleging that Pfizer concealed the risk of type-2 diabetes started to gain momentum after the FDA mandated that the warning label needed to include the risks. Since that time, thousands of plaintiffs have filed Lipitor type-2 diabetes lawsuits have over allegations that the manufacturer knew of the risk but placed profits ahead of the health and safety of consumers.

Some Lipitor plaintiffs claim they developed type-2 diabetes after taking the medication for a few years, while others report it only took a few months. If you developed diabetes after taking Lipitor, contact a Lipitor attorney to see if you have legal claim.

The Lipitor Type-2 Diabetes Lawsuit is In re: Lipitor (Atorvastatin Calcium) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, Case No. 2:15-cv-03434-RMG and MDL No. 2502 in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Charleston Division.