Lipitor is one of the top-selling prescription medicines. At its peak in 2006, it generated close to $13 billion in annual sales for Pfizer Inc. However, Lipitor’s U.S. patent expired in November 2011 (and in other countries after that), which enabled cheaper imitation versions to hit the market. Now Pfizer is competing with a discount card.

Under Pfizer’s Lipitor Choice program, patients with a discount card will be able to purchase Lipitor for prices equivalent to generics – about $30 or less per month. “Patients who get a discount card can receive a month’s supply for $30 if they have no insurance, are covered under Medicare or Affordable Care Act exchange plans, or have commercial insurance with a co-payment of more than $130. If they have commercial insurance with a co-pay of $130 or less, it will cost them $4. Pfizer will pay the pharmacy any difference.”

Why Statins?

A soft fat-like substance, cholesterol assists in necessary bodily functions including building new cells and hormone production. The body gets cholesterol in two ways: 80 percent is produced by the liver and the rest comes from your diet. There is good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol. Everyone’s body needs cholesterol, but too much can spell trouble for some people.

Statins are a class of drugs used to lower bad cholesterol levels by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase, an enzyme that plays a central role in the production of cholesterol in the liver. There are a number of statins on the market, including atorvastatin (Lipitor), fluvastatin (Lescol), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and simvastatin (Zocor), to name a few. Lipitor is the best-selling statin.

Dr. Amy G. Egan, M.D., deputy director for safety in U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products (DMEP), said “the value of statins in preventing heart disease has been clearly established. …Their benefit is indisputable, but they need to be taken with care and knowledge of their side effects.”

Weighing the Risks

The potential benefits to health must be balanced against potential risks for any medication. Understanding these possible risks can help doctors and patients make informed decisions on whether to use a drug. Lowering cholesterol is important for cardiovascular health, so statins benefits are high. But are they worth the risk? Statins have been found to increase the risk of developing diabetes, and Lipitor, the most popular cholesterol medication, has been shown to impact the development of type-2 diabetes in women over 50.

Pfizer Inc., the drug manufacturer, promoted and marketed Lipitor as “safe and effective.” It’s alleged that they did this knowing of the connection between Lipitor use and type-2 diabetes and/or its impact on blood glucose levels. It wasn’t until six years after Lipitor’s fiscal heyday, in February 2012, that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) required Pfizer to increase warnings on Lipitor’s label. Prior to that, Lipitor’s label had not warned patients of any potential relation between changes in blood sugar levels and taking Lipitor. Neither patients nor doctors knew of the risks. If they had, patients could have chosen another drug or monitored their blood glucose levels.

Numerous individual Lipitor lawsuits have been filed against Pfizer by women across the United States who allege they developed diabetes and health complications as a direct result of Lipitor use. The Lipitor lawsuits claim that Pfizer had prior knowledge about the Lipitor diabetes risk but continued to sell it to consumers. As a result, Lipitor diabetes attorneys have been looking into filing Lipitor class action lawsuits, and many Lipitor lawsuits have been grouped into multidistrict litigation (MDL) to help the growing number of women consumers who allegedly suffered diabetes as a result of taking Lipitor.