As evidence continues to mount proving Lipitor’s role in causing Type II diabetes in women, questions continue to surface about how to file a Lipitor lawsuit.
The cholesterol-reduction drug has been on the market since 1996 and millions of prescriptions have been written each year since. It wasn’t until 2012, however, that the Food and Drug Administration began raising alarms about a possible link between Lipitor and diabetes, particularly among female patients.
There is a lot of information available on this topic and it can be hard to sort through. To help, we’ve put together these four things that you absolutely need to know about Lipitor lawsuits.
Lipitor is a statin. Statins are a class of drug created to help control cholesterol.
There are two types of cholesterol; only one of which, LDL, is considered to be bad. Lipitor works by blocking the production of one of the substances your body needs in order to make LDL.
Lipitor is the best-selling medication of all time. Once approved in 1996, pharmaceutical manufacturing giant Pfizer engaged an aggressive campaign to market the drug.
The campaign was highly effective. Sales of Lipitor reached over $125 billion in total. Pfizer enjoyed sales of over $11 billion per year from Lipitor alone.
Statins themselves, in all forms including Lipitor, can be found in 1 in 4 American households with an adult resident over the age of 45.
Lipitor raises blood sugar and can lead to diabetes and other injuries. As study after study began hinting at a link between Lipitor and diabetes, action eventually had to be taken. In 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration took the step of issuing a warning indicating that Lipitor may be responsible for increased blood sugar levels – a first step toward diabetes.
That is not the only injury attributed to the drug. Research has also suggested links between Lipitor and problems with the liver, patient memory, and a specific type of muscle injury.
Once publicized, the link between Lipitor and diabetes opened the gates to a flood of lawsuits from patients who had experienced the very symptoms that the FDA warned about.
As word spread, one five-month period saw the number of Lipitor lawsuits filed in federal court rise from just 56 to almost 1,000.
Patients injured by Lipitor may be compensated for their injuries. Diabetes can be a life-altering and debilitating illness requiring life-long care to control its symptoms. This care does not come cheaply.
Americans spent $245 billion dollars on diabetes care in 2012 alone – the latest year for which diabetes spending information is available. As NPR reports, however, that number climbs to some $322 billion when productivity losses and worker disability are taken into account. This amounts to a $1000 bill issued each year issued to every American; even those who do not suffer from the disease.
A qualified attorney can help you navigate the steps necessary to file a Lipitor lawsuit to recover damages to help offset these expenses. Attorneys at Lopez McHugh are available to answer any questions you might have.
Don’t try to navigate the steps to a Lipitor lawsuit on your own. Contact an attorney today.