Another Lipitor user has come forward alleging the prescription cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor causes type-2 diabetes, joining hundreds of Lipitor type-2 diabetes lawsuits.

According to the Lipitor type-2 diabetes MDL, Pfizer knew from early clinical trials that taking Lipitor increased the risk of developing type-2 diabetes and that Pfizer’s warning label did not clearly describe that risk.

Plaintiff Ricki R., a Tennessee resident, has joined this group of plaintiffs who filed Lipitor claims in December. Ricki claims she was prescribed Lipitor in 2002 to treat her high cholesterol for seven years. The same year, Ricki was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes allegedly as a result of taking Lipitor.

Ricki’s Lipitor type-2 diabetes lawsuit alleges Pfizer promoted Lipitor as safe and effective, despite knowing that it could elevate blood sugar levels and cause type-2 diabetes and that Lipitor’s label never carried a warning that it could cause type-2 diabetes until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested a label change in February 2012.

The Lipitor lawsuit further alleges that even after the label change, Lipitor’s label still does not adequately warn patients about the risk of type-2 diabetes.

Lipitor Type-2 Diabetes FDA Warning

According to a 2012 FDA warning, some cholesterol-reducing statins, including Lipitor, may increase the risks of elevated blood sugar levels and developing type-2 diabetes. The FDA ordered Pfizer, the maker of Lipitor, to add warnings about diabetes risks to Lipitor’s labels.

Adequate prescription drug warnings are critical for ensuring consumer safety. When pharmaceutical companies fail to warn the public about risks associated with their prescription drugs, they deprive consumers of important information needed to make health decisions.

Many Lipitor users claim they were injured because Pfizer did not warn them about Lipitor and its related risks of type-2 diabetes.

Lipitor Type-2 Diabetes Lawsuits

Hundreds of Lipitor-related product liability lawsuits, including Ricki’s, alleging fraud and negligence by Pfizer are being consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the U.S. District Court of South Carolina in Charleston by Judge Richard Gergel. Multidistrict litigation is similar to a class action lawsuit, except that each plaintiff’s allegation is judged separately.

Similar product liability cases against Lipitor are piling up in many state courts, particularly in California. The first of the federal Lipitor type-2 diabetes cases is scheduled to go to trial in mid-2015. Bellwether trials help companies and plaintiffs evaluate the strength of the evidence and evaluate settlement options for the remaining cases.

The Lipitor Diabetes Lawsuit, filed Dec. 31, is Case No: 2:14-cv-4914-RMG and the Lipitor Type-2 Diabetes MDL is: In Re: Lipitor (Atorvastatin Calcium) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2:14-mn-02502-RMG, in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Charleston Division.