Louisiana plaintiff Keith John Davis is suing Pfizer Inc. for the injuries he alllegedly sustained from taking their cholesterol-medication, Lipitor. Davis alleges that in direct result of using Lipitor, he developed the permanent condition of type-2 diabetes. He is just one of many patients who claim they developed Lipitor diabetes. Class action lawsuits are being filed now by plaintiffs who allege Lipitor caused them to develop type-2 diabetes.

Davis was first prescribed Lipitor in 1999 in order to lower his cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease. Prior to taking Lipitor, Davis says he lived a very active and healthy lifestyle. He claims he would exercise four to five times a day, maintained a healthy diet, and never used tobacco.

Due to his healthy lifestyle, doctors did not suspect he would be at risk for Lipitor complications, and prescribed the medication to him to further assist his path to longevity. However, he was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes in 2011, while he was still taking Lipitor. Davis remained on Lipitor until Feb. 1, 2013, after he saw a televised commercial announcing the link between Lipitor and the development of type-2 diabetes.

After seeing the commercial, Davis is taking legal action against Pfizer, alleging that the company mentioned nothing about the risk of type-2 diabetes, nor had it been mentioned anywhere on the drug’s label. For the rest of his life, Davis will have to undergo regular blood tests, adhere to a strict diabetic diet, and take various medications to control his diabetic symptoms. Furthermore, his type-2 diabetes diagnosis makes him more susceptible to heart disease, meaning Lipitor may have made him more vulnerable to the very condition it was supposed to prevent.

Davis states that Pfizer had the responsibility to warn him and other Lipitor patients about the possibility of type-2 diabetes, because they are relying on the accuracy of the medication’s given information. The plaintiff asserts that if he had known about this condition, he never would have taken Lipitor.

Davis is suing Pfizer Inc. for being directly responsible for manufacturing, marketing, distributing, and selling a dangerous drug. The charges include negligence, false advertising, concealing information, and misrepresenting a product. The charges in this Lipitor diabetes lawsuit are similar to those in many Lipitor class action lawsuits that have been filed across the country.

This Lipitor diabetes lawsuit is Keith John Davis v. Pfizer Inc., Case No. 2:14-cv-00161-JTM-DEK, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Overview of Lipitor Class Action Lawsuit Allegations

A Lipitor class action lawsuit investigation has been launched into claims that the cholesterol medication causes patients to develop type-2 diabetes. Patients most at risk are post-menopausal women.

Lipitor is a drug called a HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor and is a part of the statin medication family. It is prescribed to patients with high cholesterol, in order to lower their level of fatty substances in the blood. It was first approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on Dec. 17, 1996, and was first developed by Warner-Lambert. Before Pfizer acquired Lipitor, its original creator had performed pre-clinical studies on laboratory mice, which indicated negative side effects on their metabolism.

Despite the pre-clinical trials, Pfizer chose to sell Lipitor, which has since become the biggest success in pharmaceutical history. Without fail, Lipitor continues to top sales charts throughout the years, and was declared the best-selling drug in pharmaceutical history several years ago. Even with all the success, Lipitor was still subject to some criticism by scientists and medical experts for the potential danger the drug may be causing the patient to face. Every year, the FDA and Pfizer received numerous injury reports of type-2 diabetes, and after reaching a certain point, the drug was suspected of having a causal link. Class action lawsuits have been filed over the alleged Lipitor diabetes link by patients seeking compensation for their injuries.

On Aug. 11, 2011, the Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products of the FDA requested update Lipitor’s warning label to include the possibility of type-2 diabetes development. While Pfizer did comply with the FDA’s request, updating their label in February 2012, it did not specifically state type-2 diabetes, but said the medication may change the patient’s blood-sugar level.