Several companies have sought to develop a new class of cholesterol-controlling drugs. This threatens statins, a class of drugs that previously had been the main line of defense against high blood cholesterol levels. The search for an alternative to statins comes at a time when Pfizer Inc. is facing hundreds of lawsuits claiming its drug Lipitor causes type-2 diabetes.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is an organic molecule. Humans actually need cholesterol in order to maintain their cellular structure. However, excessive levels of cholesterol, particularly LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, can harden and narrow the arteries, leaving a patient more prone to heart attacks, strokes, and other ailments.

The amount of cholesterol in a person’s body is determined by their own physiology, as well as their diet. While a person can control their diet, this is only half of the equation. Drugs like statins — and now their new rival drugs — are designed to help patients control the cholesterol their body produces.

The New Cholesterol Drugs

The first studies of these new drugs were recently presented to the medical community through the American College of Cardiology. Several drugs have been developed by different companies. This includes evolocumab. In preliminary clinical trials, evolocumab lowered LDL cholesterol levels by an average of 55 percent  to 66 percent. On top of this, researchers have discovered that when combined statins like Lipitor, evolocumab enhances the statin’s effect. The first of these drugs is set to go up for FDA approval this year.

Statin Diabetes Concerns and Legal Action

Changes to heart health guidelines have indicated that more than half of American adults may need cholesterol-lowering drugs. However, these drugs have been associated with an increased risk of developing type-2 diabetes.

A multidistrict litigation, or MDL, has been formed to consolidate Lipitor lawsuits that seek compensation from the manufacturers of Lipitor. These lawsuits allege that the manufacturers of Lipitor were aware of these risks, but did not do enough to protect the general public from these risks.

MDLs are a type of group lawsuit, similar to a Lipitor class action lawsuit. In both a Lipitor class action lawsuits and the Lipitor MDL, a group of plaintiffs allege that they suffered similar harm at the hands of the same defendant. The main difference is that class action lawsuits are typically started as a group, while MDLs are usually started as separate, individual lawsuits, which are later consolidated into a single legal action. Both class action lawsuits and MDLs are designed to save time money and resources for all parties involved. For example, the legal system only has a single court case to hear instead of dozens, or even hundreds of individual lawsuits.