Lawsuit Filed After Woman Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes on Lipitor

Another woman has filed a lawsuit against Pfizer, alleging that the company’s blockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor caused her to develop type 2 diabetes.

The complaint (PDF) was filed by Dianne Christopher on May 13, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, accusing Pfizer of failing to adequately warn patients or doctors about the link between Lipitor and diabetes.

According to the lawsuit, Christopher had a healthy weight when she began taking Lipitor in 2003 to help lower her low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and reduce her risk of developing heart disease. However, she alleges that she has become a diabetic due to Lipitor, which now requires her to undergo regular testing of her blood glucose levels, follow a restrictive diet and take additional medication to regulate her type 2 diabetes.

Lipitor (atorvastatin) is one of the best selling drugs in the United States, generating an estimated $125 billion in sales for Pfizer before it became available as a generic in 2011.

The drug has been used by millions of Americans to help control their cholesterol levels and it has been heavily promoted in direct-to-consumer advertisements, encouraging patients to speak to their doctors about whether they need to be placed on Lipitor to maintain their health.

However, Christopher is among a growing number of women throughout the United States who have now filed a Lipitor type 2 diabetes lawsuit alleging that they developed the disease from side effects of the medication, leaving them at an even greater risk for serious complications, such as heart disease, blindness, nerve damage, skin conditions, hearing loss, kidney disease and stroke.

In February 2012, the FDA announced it was requiring new label warnings for Lipitor and other similar statins, warning users about the possible risk of diabetes, but some studies connecting statins to diabetes date as far back as 2004.

The lawsuit points out that before February 2012, there was no label warning suggesting that Lipitor could cause type 2 diabetes. Christopher’s complaint also suggests that even after this label update, Pfizer is still not adequately disclosing the risk for consumers.

“Had Pfizer properly warned Plaintiff of the risk associated with using Lipitor, Plaintiff would have avoided the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by either not using Lipitor or by diligently monitoring her blood glucose levels,” according to the complaint.

The lawsuit accuses Pfizer of defective design and manufacture, failure to warn, and breach of warranty, claiming that Christopher has suffered substantial injury, permanent disability and damages and seeks compensatory damages.

A motion is currently pending before the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to consolidate and centralize all Lipitor cases involving type 2 diabetes that are pending in the federal court system, asking that complaints filed in U.S. District Courts throughout the country be transferred to one judge for coordinated handling. Oral arguments on the motion are expected to be heard at an upcoming session scheduled for July 25 in Portland, Maine.