The Lipitor multidistrict litigation (MDL) made progress this month as discovery continues to move forward in preparation for the Lipitor bellwether trials, which are scheduled to take place later year. A few Lipitor type-2 diabetes lawsuits have been selected for early trial dates and will test the strength of the Lipitor MDL claims against Pfizer Inc.

A joint status report was submitted by both parties on Jan. 22, which fully demonstrated the progress made in several areas of the Lipitor MDL discovery process especially in regards to the the production of documents from Pfizer, deposition selection, and the plaintiff’s fact sheet.

The Lipitor bellwether trials are scheduled to begin in October of this year. Currently, both parties are working to meet and gather information from plaintiffs’ treating physicians and any other witnesses that will be used in the Lipitor MDL court proceedings. Also involved in the deposition process are Pfizer employees, both current and former. It was anticipated that these depositions would be completed by February.

A case management order suggested that all Lipitor type-2 diabetes lawsuits involved in the Lipitor bellwether trials will be prepared by July of this year.

Lipitor Type-2 Diabetes Lawsuits

So far, over 2000 Lipitor type-2 diabetes lawsuits have been filed against Pfizer, both in state and federal courts, claiming that Lipitor has caused thousands of women to develop type-2 diabetes. Lipitor lawsuits have alleged that Pfizer failed to adequately warn users about potential Lipitor type-2 diabetes side effects and instead made a large profit from the sales of the popular cholesterol medication.

The Lipitor MDL has been centralized before U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel in the District of South Carolina. Roughly 1,6000 Lipitor lawsuits filed in various U.S. federal courts have been consolidated into this Lipitor MDL. Hundreds of other Lipitor type-2 diabetes lawsuits have been filed in other courts across the country which, while not included in the MDL, may be affected by the Lipitor MDL outcome. 

Lipitor Type-2 Diabetes

Many women who have used Lipitor claim that the drug caused them to develop type-2 diabetes. Considering the popularity and widespread use of the cholesterol medication, thousands of women may have been put at risk of developing Lipitor type-2 diabetes side effects because of the lack of an adequate warnings. Plaintiffs in the Lipitor MDL and in other Lipitor lawsuits have alleged that had they been adequately warned about potential side effects, they never would have used the drug or would have monitored their blood glucose levels for signs of diabetes. 

Type-2 diabetes is a life-long condition that cannot be fully cured, though it may be managed through medications and life-style changes.

Pfizer changed Lipitor’s warning label in 2012 to include the risk of type-2 diabetes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required Pfizer and other drug manufacturers to add diabetes warnings to statin-based cholesterol medications. Allegedly, Pfizer was aware of Lipitor type-2 diabetes years before the FDA announcement, but made no proactive steps to warn consumers or the medical community of the type-2 diabetes risk. 

The Lipitor bellwether trials will not determine the outcome of the Lipitor MDL, but it may be suggestive as to what evidence and testimonies should be used and how a jury might respond.