Drug Injury Lawyers Blog
More women are continuing to come forward, accusing pharmaceutical company Pfizer of not giving them proper warning that taking cholesterol drug Lipitor might cause them to develop type 2 diabetes. In their Lipitor diabetes lawsuits, the plaintiffs claims that the drug manufacturer was aware of these side effects but did not act to make sure that the public knew about them, too
It wasn’t until 2012-six years after Lipitor entered the market-that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration demanded that manufacturers of drugs that lower cholesterol, also known as statins, modify their labeling to include some of the more dangerous risks involved, including memory loss and diabetes. Statins are prescription meds that are supposed to be used, along with diet and exercise, to lower bad cholesterol. Pfizer, however, denies that Lipitor was the cause of the women’s diabetes. Instead, the company has suggested that they developed the disease because of other risk factors, such as obesity or high blood pressure.
Still, as of August 2014, Reuters reports, nearly 1,000 women had filed drug injury lawsuits against Pfizer naming Lipitor as the cause of their diabetes. A federal judicial panel has consolidated all Lipitor Diabetes lawsuits in the US into one courtroom in South Carolina.
Lipitor
Lipitor is the number one selling prescription drug of all time and has generated over $130 billion in sales globally since 1996. In the United States, over 29 patients have received prescriptions for Lipitor. The first bellwether trial for a Lipitor diabetes lawsuit is in July.
Studies show that women taking Lipitor and other statins have a nearly 50% chance of developing type 2 diabetes than women who did not take the drug. This type of diabetes is a chronic condition and if not treated properly or as soon as possible it could lead to other medical issues, including blood vessel disease, heart disease, as well as a higher risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, kidney damage, nerve damage, blindness, osteoporosis, hearing problems, oral conditions, and skin conditions.
Lipitor and Cataracts
According to a recent report by Canadian researchers, taking a statin med for your cholesterol levels could up your risk of cataracts. The report, published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, said that Lipitor and other statins might increase by 27% the chance of a person developing vision problems. The lead researcher, however, noted that at this point the benefits of the drugs exceeded the small risk of having to undergo a cataract procedure.
Drug manufacturers are supposed to make sure that patients and their doctors know the risks involved in taking any type of medication, especially if serious health issues may result. At Altman & Altman, our drug defect lawyers represent plaintiffs seeking to recover compensation for the harm they have suffered from taking a dangerous or defective medication.
Pfizer facing surge of lawsuits over Lipitor, FoxNews/AP, August 8, 2014
Canadian Journal of Cardiology
More Blog Posts:
Popular Cholesterol Drug, Lipitor, Linked to Serious Health Issues Including Diabetes, Drug Injury Lawyers Blog, August 1, 2013
Ruling in Cruise Ship Injury Case Could Determine Whether Medical Malpractice Damages Could Finally Come Into Play, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, January 9, 2015
Consolidation of Xarelto Injury Lawsuits Gets Opposition from Bayer, Johnson & Johnson, Massachusetts Drug Injury Lawyers Blog, December 5, 2014
