Patients filed a Lawsuit against Lipitor: Lipitor Lawsuit

Pfizer’s Lipitor is an atorvastatin calcium drug that FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved in 1996. Mainly, the drug is used to control cholesterol levels by regulating an enzyme that produces bad cholesterol.

When patients take this drug, the triglycerides and bad cholesterol in their bodies get reduced as it blocks the HMG-CoA reductase. Moreover, it regulates the good cholesterol in the body. Even in some patients, it can reduce the risk of heart failure. However, everybody works differently. For some people taking Lipitor has not been a good experience, and as a result, some filed a Lipitor lawsuit.

Lipitor Side Effects

Following are some Statins – lipid-lowering drugs side effects.

• Type 2 diabetes
• Liver damage
• Memory loss

Women’s Health Initiative’s research found that women who take statins after menopause is under a heavy chance of developing Type 2 diabetes. 13 other pieces of research and some other reviews revealed that patients who were on statins had a 9 percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes. As per FDA, it can also increase the chances of liver damage.

In 2012, the Food and Drug Administration mandated the companies that manufacture statins to add warning labels to their packaging about liver damage and memory loss with the chance of elevated HbA1c and fasting serum glucose levels. These elements decide whether a patient has developed diabetes or not. However, the new labels for Lipitor failed to state that HbA1c and fasting serum glucose levels are linked with Type 2 diabetes.

Lipitor Lawsuit

Allegedly, some patients reported developing Type 2 diabetes from Lipitor consumption. Type 2 diabetes can lead to serious health conditions if one fails to manage it. For instance, it can cause Alzheimer’s, kidney damage, blindness, fungal infections, nerve damage, and hearing problems. The treatment of Type 2 diabetes involves costly lifetime medications for diabetes and insulin therapies.

As a consequence, several drug takers filed against Pfizer as Lipitor Lawsuit. Typically, such lawsuits come under the category of product liability. The product liability law says that drug sellers and producers must ensure that their drugs don’t cause any serious side effects and should be free from harmful substances. If any product has harmful side effects, then it must be labeled and packaged differently. The package must include labels for warnings. Otherwise, sellers will be liable for any injury caused by it.

In the lawsuit filed against Pfizer, plaintiffs claimed that the company had failed to add a warning label to Lipitor and did not warn the users about the dangerous side effects. Furthermore, plaintiffs alleged that the packaging lacked information regarding Type 2 diabetes.

They claimed, If they had been aware of the side effects, they would have never taken the drug in the first place. 

If the plaintiffs successfully win the case, they will be compensated for their sufferings and damages. Since type 2 Diabetes is untreatable, the award for damages would probably include prior medical expenses as well as the projected cost for future treatments.

Claims for Medical Malpractice

Not just that, some patients even claimed against physicians for receiving poor medical care. If the treatment quality falls below the industry standards, doctors will be held liable for this.

For instance, if a physician or gynecologist suggests Lipitor to a pregnant woman despite the warning label, he/she will be responsible for the patient’s sufferings and injuries.