Why Are There Lipitor Lawsuits?
Atorvastatin is a generic chemical agent manufactured and sold by mega-pharmaceutical company Pfizer, Inc., under the trade name “Lipitor.” Initially approved by the FDA in 1996, Lipitor is commonly prescribed to reduce hypertension (high blood pressure) by regulating circulatory liver enzymes that decrease cholesterol. During recent years, its widely touted cholesterol lowering properties have gained immense popularity for the drug.
Nearly half of the estimated 80 million Americans diagnosed with high cholesterol take one or more prescription drugs that are classified as “statins,” such as Lipitor. Since its first introduction to global markets a little less than two decades ago, Lipitor has grown to become one of the most popular and best selling pharmaceutical products of all time. Gross sales revenues total approximately $130 billion.
In the past few years, however, lawsuits have been filed against Pfizer’s “wonder drug,” as well as numerous recently published research findings showing a link between new-onset Type II diabetes and Lipitor side effects.
Around the same time Lipitor’s patent expired in 2011, Pfizer began altering package labeling in response to requests from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products. After months of delay, Pfizer finally complied in 2012 by amending Lipitor labels with a brief statement that indicates some cases of patients’ blood sugar levels elevating after taking package contents.
According to recently published research findings, postmenopausal women may face the highest risk of developing first-time Type II diabetes from daily use of Lipitor. That particular group of patients is almost 50 percent more likely to become diabetic than other females who are 50 to 70 years old and take no statins whatsoever.
Possible Lipitor Side Effects
Patients in Georgia and across the U.S. have reported experiencing the side effects listed below due to taking Lipitor:
- Muscular pain
- Myopathy (excessive muscle weakness)
- Kidney damage (aka “renal trauma”)
- Kidney failure
- Liver damage
- Rhabdomyolysis (muscular tissue deterioration)
- Memory loss
- New-onset Type II Diabetes
- Death
Injured? Contact a Georgia Lipitor Lawyer
If you or someone you care about lives in Georgia and have developed Type II diabetes or any other severe illness after taking Lipitor, consider contacting Attorney Group for Georgia. We are here to help answer questions you may have about your situation, help you determine if you have a case, and connect you with a affiliated attorney if you decide to pursue a claim. Contact us today for your free consultation.
