Another Lipitor Complaint Filed by Woman Diagnosed with Diabetes

Pfizer faces yet another lawsuit alleging that side effects of Lipitor caused a woman to develop diabetes, joining a mounting number of Lipitor complaints brought in state and federal courts nationwide by former users of the blockbuster cholesterol drug.  

The lawsuit (PDF) was filed by Faith Johnson in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana on September 13, alleging that she developed type 2 diabetes after she started taking Lipitor in 2011.

Johnson was prescribed Lipitor to lower her cholesterol levels and to decrease her risk of developing cardiovascular disease. However, she alleges that the medication has caused her to develop diabetes, which now places her at an increased risk of heart disease and other serious health problems.

As a result of the diabetes complications from Lipitor, Johnson states that she now must undergo regular blood testing, adhere to a restrictive diabetic diet and take diabetes drugs.

The Lipitor complaint alleges that Pfizer knew about the increased diabetes risk associated with the top-selling drug, but failed to adequately warn doctors or patients.

Johnson joins a growing number of women pursuing a lawsuit against the drug maker, which some estimates have suggested may eventually involve thousands of Lipitor diabetes complaints filed nationwide. Some of the lawsuits have alleged that Pfizer’s drug has helped spark a national epidemic of diabetes among otherwise healthy women.

Lipitor Diabetes Complaints

Lipitor (atorvastatin) is one of the most widely used brand-name medications in the United States, with millions of Americans taking the medication to help lower cholesterol and improve their health. Before it became available as a generic in 2011, Pfizer generated more than $125 billion in Lipitor sales.

In February 2012, the FDA required new diabetes warnings for Lipitor and other similar statins, informing users for the first time that they may face an increased risk of changes to blood glucose levels.

Plaintiffs in lawsuits filed throughout the country allege that Pfizer knew or should have known about the possible risk of diabetes long before these warnings were issued, and critics suggest that the diabetes warnings remain inadequate and vague.

Johnson’s lawsuit accuses Pfizer of designing and manufacturing a defective product, inadequate warning, and breach of warranty. She is seeking damages for severe and permanent bodily injury, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, mental pain and suffering, physical pain and suffering, disability, medical expenses and economic damages.

Last month, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) denied a request filed by plaintiffs to centralize and consolidate all of the Lipitor complaints before one judge for coordinated pretrial proceedings.