Pfizer has been hit with another Lipitor lawsuit by a woman from North Carolina who allegedly developed type-2 diabetes after taking their cholesterol-lowering medication.

The woman claims that in direct result of using Lipitor, she developed permanent and life-altering injuries due to the company’s negligence.

Plaintiff Marion W. was first prescribed Lipitor in 1999 to treat her high cholesterol levels, which in turn aimed to greatly lower her chances of heart disease. High cholesterol is linked to several major health impairments including heart attack, blood clot injuries, and cardiovascular disease.

By taking Lipitor, Marion assumed she would have ideally lived a longer and healthier life without the worries associated with high cholesterol. At all times, Marion claimed she had followed prescription instructions and the advice of her physician and had no reason to expect any severe complications.

Despite using Lipitor without incident for over a decade, Marion was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes in 2012. She stayed on Lipitor until 2015 when she decided to file legal action against Pfizer.

She is suing the company for failing to warn her of Lipitor’s potential to cause diabetes and for not adequately informing her physician of the drug’s side effects.

Ever since its approval in the mid 1990s, Lipitor has become the most popularly prescribed cholesterol treatment drug in the United States. It provided a sound and reliable method to lower bad cholesterol levels, while encouraging the production of good cholesterol.

Overview of Lipitor Diabetes Allegations

It was revealed in 2012 that Lipitor and other statin drugs could possibly induce type-2 diabetes in patients. Pfizer announced this warning in 2012, updating Liptior’s warning label to include changes in blood-glucose levels. This warning came too late to Marion and numerous other women who were diagnosed and had their lives permanently altered.

It is currently unknown as to how Liptior is allegedly causing type-2 diabetes in patients, but experts believe that Lipitor and other statin drugs impair the function of certain cells that store and release insulin from the pancreas.

Patients with type-2 diabetes have to take a variety of medications to help control symptoms, have to adhere to a strict diabetic diet, must frequently check their blood-glucose levels, and regularly see their doctors. Additionally, patients who suffer from type-2 diabetes are more prone to blindness, neuropathy, amputation, and heart disease.

Marion is filing legal action against Pfizer for failing to warn her of all the products’ side effects. She further alleges that the company either knew or should have known the risk of type-2 diabetes.

Marion is suing Pfizer Inc. for their role in  manufacturing, selling, distributing, and marketing an allegedly  dangerous drug. The charges include: negligence, false advertising, concealing information, and misrepresenting a product.

The Lipitor Lawsuit is Case No. 2:15-cv-04346-RMG and is part of the Lipitor MDL  In re: Lipitor (Atorvastatin Calcium) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2502, in the U. S. District Court of South Carolina, Charleston Division.