Lipitor Warnings Fail To Adequately Disclose Type 2 Diabetes Side Effects

Harvey Kirk

By Harvey Kirk
Posted May 29, 2013

ADD YOUR COMMENTS 2

Evidence continues to emerge that suggests Pfizer knew or should have known about the link between Lipitor and diabetes for years, yet the drug maker failed to adequately warn about the risk of problems or the importance of monitoring blood glucose levels while using the medication.

Although the Lipitor warning label was updated in February 2012, it continues to be inadequate and fails to provide sufficient information for consumers or the medical community.

▸ More Information: Lipitor Type 2 Diabetes Side Effects

The lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. are reviewing potential Lipitor lawsuits for women with diabetes. All claims are being handled on a contingency fee basis, which means that there are no out of pocket expenses to hire our law firm and we receive no attorney fees or expenses unless we are successful obtaining a recovery in your case. Request a free consultation and claim evaluation.

Link Between Lipitor and Diabetes

Injury Lawyers

Have You Been Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes After Using Lipitor?

REVIEW A CASE

Lipitor (atorvastatin) was introduced in 1996 by Warner Lambert, and was subsequently acquired by Pfizer. It is part of a class of cholesterol drugs known as statins, which have been used by millions of Americans, with Lipitor being one of the most popular brand name medications in the world. The blockbuster sales of Lipitor have helped Pfizer become one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.

A number of studies have suggested a link between diabetes and Lipitor use, and most of this information has been known or knowable by Pfizer for years.

This month, a study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) suggests that users of Lipitor may be 22% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than those not given the drug, yet Pfizer has aggressively promoted Lipitor as safe and effective without adequately warning about the potential side effects.

In February 2012, amid emerging concerns about diabetes and other health problems from Lipitor, Pfizer updated the label at the request of the FDA. However, the label remains confusing and insufficient to reflect the potential risk associated with the medication.

The only reference to the diabetes risk added to the Lipitor label was placed in the “Warnings and Precautions” section:

5.3 Endocrine Function: Increases in HbA1c and fasting serum glucose levels have been reported with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, including Lipitor.

If Pfizer had not placed their desire for massive profits before the safety of consumers by withholding information about the link between Lipitor and diabetes, thousands of women who have subsequently developed type 2 diabetes may have avoided the disease by choosing to avoid use of the cholesterol medication or by monitoring for changes in the blood sugar levels while taking Lipitor.

CONTACT OUR LAWYERS ABOUT A LIPITOR AND DIABETES

2 Comments • Add Your Comments

  • H. Casper says:

    Thousands of women may have taken the drug and got diabetes but how many of these women would have died Congestive heart failure or a heart attack if they had not been taking Lipitor. I can’t think of any reason they would have been taking it unless their doctor had detected some type of heart disorder.

    Posted on June 20, 2013 at 1:56 pm

  • Charles says:

    Essentially everyone who needs Lipitor have diabetes or prediabetic (diabetes commonly causes hyperlipidemia which Lipitor treats) and the prediabetics are just advancing towards diabetes; so it would not be alarming to see that statistically occurring. I think it is a leap to say that J&J was hiding anything. I wonder the mechanism of action responsible?

    Posted on June 26, 2013 at 3:37 pm

Add Your Comments

  • Have Your Comments Reviewed by a Lawyer

    Provide contact information below and additional private comments if you want an attorney to contact you to review a potential case.

    The information below will not be published to this page.

  • NOTE: Providing information for review by an attorney does not form an attorney-client relationship.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.