An Arkansas woman who allegedly sustained damages from adverse Lipitor side effects recently added her name to a large class of plaintiffs in mass tort litigation pending against Pfizer, Inc. that keeps growing with new cases across the country.
The plaintiff’s complaint states a claim for damages caused by Type II diabetes that was diagnosed in May 2011, after less than one year of taking Lipitor for hyper-cholesterol management to prevent heart disease. It further claims that she maintained a healthy diet, led an active lifestyle and had no prior diabetic history.
Specific legal grounds cited to support a court order granting relief is Pfizer’s alleged failure to warn of known product defects, negligence, breach of warranty and fraud. She demands recovery for past and present actual damages; continuing medical bills; a full refund of all Lipitor prescription costs; legal fees, and punitive damages. (See Debra Slaughter v. Pfizer Inc., Case No. 2:14-cv-1895-RMG, in U.S. District Court for the South Carolina District).
Historical Development of Lipitor Lawsuit Claims
On December 17, 1995, Pfizer gained final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to manufacture and sell Lipitor. Since then, a growing body of research has gradually evolved to expose serious potential health risks from using Lipitor and similar anti-cholesterol drugs.
Classified within a group of drugs called statins, Lipitor has grossed profits of approximately $130 billion in less than two decades. This makes it the best-selling Rx of its kind for all time. Such incredible success is widely credited to mass marketing that continued despite known discovery of a possible link between statins and diabetes a few years after Lipitor’s initial market debut.
In 2009, the Dept. of Justice imposed on Pfizer the highest criminal fine in U.S. history of $1.25 billion for deceptive advertising. It was the company’s fourth offense within less than a decade that was committed while prior government investigations were pending.
In 2012, University of Massachusetts researcher Yunsheng Ma, MD, PhD, conducted studies that confirmed results published by earlier colleagues. Dr. Ma reported finding that postmenopausal women on daily anti-cholesterol medicines face up to 50 percent greater odds of developing Type II diabetes than other women in the same age group who take no statins whatsoever.
Pfizer failed to comply with FDA requests made in late 2011 to amend Lipitor labels and ads to disclose increased risk diabetes until early 2012.
A common allegation in Lipitordamage claims is that Pfizer failed to take prompt corrective measures of voluntary recall or advising doctors and patients about its allegedly defective “miracle drug,” despite prior knowledge of scientific evidence thereof.
Advantages of an Arkansas Lipitor lawyer
If you or someone you love was diagnosed with Type II diabetes after taking Lipitor, call Attorney Group for Arkansas today. We can discuss your options, help you determine if you have a claim, and connect you with an experienced Arkansas Lipitor lawyer, all at no cost to you. Contact us today for your free consultation.
