Drug Defect

The number of drug injury lawsuits against Pfizer Inc. over its Lipitor medication continues to rise. Court documents indicate that in U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina, where federal multidistrict litigation is taking place, at least 2,185 Lipitor cases are pending.

In their Lipitor lawsuits, the plaintiffs contend that the drug company did not warn that the statin medication could up the risk of Type 2 A diabetes. It wasn’t until 2012 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that all statin labels would have to be modified to include this information. Even then, claim the plaintiffs, Lipitor’s modified labels failed to warn patients about the connection between diabetes and the medication.

Statins are a category of drug that obstructs the liver’s production of cholesterol. This is supposed to lower the risk of heart disease.

According to a state superior court, the parents of a child who sustained serious birth defects because the mother took Topamax while she was pregnant is entitled to $11.6 million from Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals. The ruling strike’s down Janssen’s appeal to an earlier jury verdict.

The child’s mother, Haley Powell, started taking Topamax in 2005 after suffering from an epileptic seizure and losing consciousness. Two years later, doctors weaned her off the drug after finding out she was pregnant.

Ultrasound results showed that the child had a cleft lip. Brayden was also born with gum line defects. He underwent surgery to repair the cleft but he now has a permanent scar extending from his lip to his nose. Brayden also has a speech disability. He may have to undergo gum-graft surgery and rhinoplasty.

Articles Tagged with Drug Defect

Nearly 2,200 Lipitor Cases Filed Over Type 2 Diabetes Side Effects

State Superior Court Upholds $11M Topamax Injury Verdict Against Janssen Pharmaceuticals