New Lipitor Side Effects Lawsuit Filed in Louisiana

New Lipitor Side Effects Lawsuit Filed in La.

By John Curran

A Louisiana woman says that she is at risk for numerous conditions including neuropathy, heart disease and even blindness as a result of her type-2 diabetes, which she alleges was caused by her use of the cholesterol medication Lipitor.

Jessie Triplett says that she was first prescribed the statin drug to lower her low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in 2001 and stopped in 2003 at about the same time that she was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. According to the Lipitor lawsuit, had drug maker Pfizer adequately warned of the risks of Lipitor side effects that included elevated blood sugar levels, Triplett would have undergone regular testing or by not using the medication at all.

According to the Lipitor diabetes lawsuit, the pharmaceutical company co-marketed the product beginning in 1997 and bought out the company that gained approval for the drug in 2000. Triplett’s Lipitor side effects lawsuit alleges that the company knew or should have known of elevated blood sugar levels before Triplett began taking Lipitor and before her diagnosis of diabetes. Counts against the drug maker include failure to warn, breaches of various warranties and fraud, among others.

To that end, the Lipitor lawsuit cites a label change that Pfizer made in 2012, noting that “Increases in HbA1c and fasting serum glucose levels have been reported with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, including LIPITOR.” Even with that drug safety information update, it is unclear, according to the plaintiff and her lawyer, whether or not the general public would understand that the label implied a risk for Lipitor type-2 diabetes side effects. Even if it does, they argue that Pfizer should have taken action sooner.

According to studies brought to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s attention as part of a long-term clinical review, Pfizer’s statin drug elevates blood glucose levels to a greater extent than other LDL cholesterol treatments, which can lead to Lipitor type-2 diabetes side effects. Currently, the risk is statistically significant for women and not men. 

The Lipitor type-2 diabetes lawsuit is Jessie L. Triplett v. Pfizer Inc., Case No. 13-cv-6147, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. 

If you are a woman who developed type-2 diabetes while taking this popular drug, you may be able to begin legal proceedings against Pfizer. Learn more about your options by visiting the Lipitor Diabetes Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. Filling out the short form there also entitles you to a free consultation with a Lipitor side effects lawsuit attorney.