Ala. Woman Sues Pfizer for Lipitor Type-2 Diabetes

Ala. Woman Sues Pfizer for Lipitor Type-2 Diabetes

By Amanda Antell

Alabama plaintiff Martha C. Starnes is suing Pfizer Inc. for the injuries she allegedly sustained from using the cholesterol-lowering drug, Lipitor. Starnes claims that she developed type-2 diabetes as a direct result of using Lipitor.

According to the Lipitor lawsuit, Starnes was first prescribed Lipitor in September 2005 to reduce her high cholesterol, and to help reduce the risk of heart disease. She took the medication according to the prescription’s instructions, but discontinued its use soon after being diagnosed with type-2 diabetes in March 2009. She says she discovered that Lipitor may have been the reason why she developed type-2 diabetes in October 2009.

As a result of her new condition, she must undergo regular blood testing to measure her glucose levels, follow a strict diabetic diet and routinely take diabetes medications. According to the Lipitor lawsuit, she is now at a higher risk for heart disease, blindness, neuropathy and kidney disease. Had Starnes known about this possibility, she says she never would have taken Lipitor.

Starnes is suing Pfizer for being directly responsible for manufacturing, selling, distributing and marketing a dangerous drug. The charges include negligence, false advertising, concealing information and misrepresenting a product.

Overview of Lipitor Diabetes Complications

Lipitor, manufactured by Pfizer, was first approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in the 1990s. Lipitor is a cholesterol-lowering medication that is part of a drug family called statins. Statins have been used to treat high cholesterol since the 1980s, and have been traditionally thought to be a safe treatment option. However, recent medical concerns have associated Lipitor with the occurrence of type-2 diabetes.

While it is currently unknown what causes Lipitor patients to be at risk for type-2 diabetes, medical experts have noticed that it occurs more frequently in postmenopausal women. A study conducted in 2010 analyzed in 91,000 patients who had either been treated with a statin drug or placebo for their high cholesterol. The study concluded that more than 50 percent of statin patients developed type-2 diabetes. Further, the study found that patients with pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure or history of high cholesterol were much more likely to develop type-2 diabetes.

This study and others led the Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products of the FDA to request Pfizer to update Lipitor’s label to include possible type-2 diabetes development, in August 2011. In February 2012, Pfizer complied with the request and added the following addition to Lipitor’s warning label: “Increases in HbA1c and fasting serum glucose levels have been reported with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, including Lipitor,” from Lipitor’s warning label.

While the update to the warning label was helpful, many find the language of the warning difficult to understand. Many people around the United States are suing Pfizer for failing to adequately warn about Lipitor’s risks.

This Lipitor lawsuit is Martha C. Starnes v. Pfizer Inc., Case No. 5:13-cv-01915-CLS, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

File a Lipitor Lawsuit Today

If you believe that you or a loved one have developed Lipitor type-2 diabetes, you have legal options. Please visit the Lipitor Diabetes Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. There, you can submit your claim for a free legal review and if it qualifies for legal action, a seasoned Lipitor lawyer will contact you for a free, no-obligation consultation. You will be guided through the litigation process at no out-of-pocket expenses or hidden fees. The Lipitor attorneys working this investigation do not get paid until you do.