There are now enough Lipitor lawsuits in federal courts by women alleging that the cholesterol drug caused their type-2 diabetes that the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralized them in a South Carolina federal court.

However, that number could increase dramatically if drug maker Pfizer successfully develops an over-the-counter version, which it is currently working to do.

As it stands, the warning label for the medication includes a warning about potential increases in fasting serum glucose levels after a recently mandated update by Pfizer from the Food and Drug Administration. However, numerous women in hundreds of Lipitor lawsuits allege that does not adequately warn people using the cholesterol drug that they may be at risk for diabetes.

Barring significant changes in labeling based on a 1,200 person clinical trial begun by Pfizer for its upcoming over-the-counter push, the type-2 diabetes risk linked to Lipitor could remain a problem for women who are looking to lower their LDL cholesterol levels.

Many women who have filed complaints say that they had minimized other risk factors by maintaining a healthy weight and sensible diet, yet were still diagnosed with new onset type-2 diabetes as a result of taking Lipitor.

More importantly, if patients were allowed to self-medicate with an OTC Lipitor, they would  miss out on any information that doctors and pharmacists might have about the links between the drug and glucose levels, unless the label is updated to include the warning.

Instead, women who took the medication would either have to figure out what glucose levels are linked to or find the studies indicating that Lipitor is the most dangerous option in the statin drug class for type-2 diabetes side effects.

It also comes at a time when pharmaceutical companies have made a push for the use of these types of treatments to lower LDL cholesterol levels that has been taken up by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology as well. The two professional associations argue that statins should be the first line of defense against potential heart health issues, regardless of concerns raised in Lipitor diabetes lawsuits. That, along with the OTC push, could expose millions more to the blood sugar issues.