Lawsuit Alleges Lipitor Caused Type-2 Diabetes

Lawsuit Alleges Lipitor Caused Type-2 Diabetes

By Jessica Tyner

Ruth Williams thought she was doing what any responsible person does when they have high levels of bad cholesterol. She was prescribed Lipitor in 2007 and continued with her regimen through 2012. She claims in her Lipitor lawsuit, filed on Oct. 15, 2013, that she was never warned that Lipitor can cause type-2 diabetes and there was no warning information on the bottle or on any inserts. 

She’s not alone. The number of people filing Lipitor lawsuits has grown drastically in recent months as more people realize their sudden onset diabetes wasn’t random —  it was allegedly caused by Lipitor. Type-2 diabetes doesn’t go away when a person stops taking Lipitor, either. The most common demographics to get diabetes from Lipitor are women aged 50 or older, but anyone can become a Lipitor victim. 

Williams was prescribed Lipitor “as a preventative measure to decrease her risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CDV),” but she ended up with another dangerous disease. Diabetes is one of the fastest spreading disease in the country.

In her Lipitor lawsuit, Williams says that she and her doctor “agreed to initiate Lipitor treatment in an effort to reduce her risk of developing heart disease” and “relied on claims made by defendant Pfizer that Lipitor was clinically proven to reduce her risk of developing heart disease.” 

At all times during the five years she took Lipitor, Williams followed the directions but was never warned that type-2 diabetes was a serious and possible side effect of Lipitor. She says Lipitor “was not reasonably safe because adequate warnings or instructions were not provided with the product” as is required by law. Had she known she might be trading the chance of heart disease for a high possibility of lifelong type-2 diabetes, Williams either wouldn’t have taken the drug or would have closely monitored her blood sugar levels, her lawsuit says.

According to Williams, Pfizer “negligently designed, sold and distributed Lipitor,” knowing that there were Lipitor risks but choosing not to fully warn the medical community or patients.

The complications of diabetes can be intense and even fatal. Most cases of adult amputations and blindness in the US are caused by diabetes, and Williams now has to follow strict precautions — including a diabetic diet — for the rest of her life in order to avoid these complications.

“Approximately three years after she began treatment with Lipitor, (she) was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes in 2010,” the Lipitor lawsuit says. She continued taking Lipitor throughout 2012 because, until recently, she didn’t know that the drug had caused the diabetes. She thought the two issues were exclusive. In addition to a special diet, Williams also must undergo monitoring, follow a specific exercise regimen and take medication to control diabetes.

Due to her Lipitor usage, Williams alleges she has “incurred medical expenses in the past and will incur additional medical expenses in the future,” the Lipitor diabetes lawsuits says. She has also allegedly “suffered pain, anguish, disability, and loss of ability to enjoy life, both mental and physical, and such pain, anguish, disability and loss of ability to enjoy life will continue in the future and be permanent.”

On Feb. 28, 2013, label changes were made to Lipitor, finally warning people about the risks of type-2 diabetes. It wasn’t until this label change that Williams says she realized she got diabetes from Lipitor and could potentially be owed compensation from Pfizer for intentionally not being forthcoming about the real Lipitor risks.

She’s asking for “damages in such sum as the evidence will support at the time of trial including, but not limited to, consequential and incidental damages, taxable costs and attorney fees.” Were she married, Williams spouse may have also qualified to file a lawsuit for loss of consortium. When one person in a family suffers, it often impacts (on all levels) everyone else in the family.

The Lipitor lawsuit is Ruth Williams v. Pfizer Inc., Case No.: 2:13-cv-01848-RSL, the United States District Court Western District of Washington at Seattle.

Were You Prescribed Lipitor?

Were you prescribed Lipitor to treat cholesterol? Did you then get diagnosed with type-2 diabetes? If this happened to you, you might qualify for a Lipitor legal claim. Learn more about your options at the Lipitor Diabetes Class Action Lawsuit Investigation site today. After you share your information, an attorney will be in touch if you qualify for a complimentary Lipitor claim review.