Pfizer recently tried to have 94 Lipitor lawsuits dismissed in the South Carolina Lipitor multidistrict litigation. While 44 of these were successfully removed from litigation, the district court denied Pfizer’s attempt to dismiss 50 more on the grounds of unfulfilled discovery obligations.
The Lipitor lawsuits in question are part of MDL 2502, which includes more than 2,000 Lipitor lawsuits. The multidistrict litigation was centralized in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina in February 2014. Plaintiffs involved in Lipitor lawsuits claim that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer’s blockbuster cholesterol drug caused severe side effects like diabetes, especially in women.
There is a large body of research linking Lipitor to diabetes. A 2012 study at the University of Massachusetts Medical School found patients who took statins like Lipitor—and particularly those who were female—had a higher chance of being diagnosed with diabetes. A study from the same year published in the New England Journal of Medicine supported these results. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also announced that anti-cholesterol drugs like Lipitor may lead to increased blood sugar levels.
While the 2,000-plus Lipitor lawsuits in the multidistrict litigation concern diabetes and related injuries caused by the drug, Lipitor has also been linked to a host of other health problems. For instance, a 2013 study published by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that statins such as Lipitor may negate the benefits of exercise.
As the Lipitor MDL moves along, the number of lawsuits continues to climb. If you are a woman diagnosed with diabetes while using Lipitor you may qualify for legal compensation through a Lipitor lawsuit. Contact the Lipitor lawyers at Lopez McHugh today for a free consultation.
