Dominic Rivera  |  April 23, 2014

Category: Legal News

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Lipitor diabetes studyAn Ohio woman is suing Pfizer Inc. for the injuries she allegedly sustained from the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor. Mary Honkonen alleges that she developed type-2 diabetes as a result of her Lipitor treatment.

According to the lawsuit, Honkonen was prescribed with Lipitor by her treating physician and used it as directed. Lipitor is prescribed to reduce the amount of cholesterol and other fatty substances in the blood.

“In keeping with her proactive lifestyle, plaintiff agreed to initiate Lipitor treatment in an effort to reduce her risk of developing heart disease. She relied on claims made by Pfizer that Lipitor has been clinically shown to reduce the risk of developing heart disease,” the lawsuit states.

Because of her type-2 diabetes, Honkonen must now undergo regular testing of her blood glucose levels, adhere to a restrictive diet, and take medication to control her diabetes. The lawsuit states that she is now at markedly increased risk of heart disease, blindness, neuropathy, and kidney disease.

The lawsuit argued that Pfizer failed to adequately warn physicians and consumers, including Honkonen, of the risk of developing diabetes from Lipitor.

“Despite its knowledge of data indicating that Lipitor use is causally related to the development of Type 2 diabetes and/or blood glucose levels diagnostic for Type 2 diabetes, Pfizer promoted and marketed Lipitor as safe and effective for persons such as plaintiff throughout the United States, including this judicial district,” the lawsuit states.

In August 2011, the Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requested that Pfizer make labeling changes for Lipitor based upon the FDA’s comprehensive review, including clinical trial data.

In February 2012, Pfizer complied with the FDA request and added the following language to its warnings and precautions section: “Increases in HbA1c and fasting serum glucose levels have been reported with HMG-C0A reductase inhibitors, including Lipitor.”

Until the February 2012 change, Lipitor’s label had never warned patients of any potential relation between changes in blood sugar levels and taking Lipitor. Despite the February 2012 label change, Lipitor’s label continues to fail to warn consumers of the serious risk of developing type 2 diabetes when using Lipitor. Because of this, Honkonen is suing Pfizer and seeking actual and punitive damages. Charges include negligence and wrongful conduct in connection with design, development, manufacture, testing, packaging, promoting, marketing, distribution, labeling, and/or sale of Lipitor.

In general, Lipitor lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.

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If you’re a woman who was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes while taking Lipitor, or were diagnosed with diabetes within 90 days or less of your last dose of Lipitor, you may be eligible for compensation. See if you qualify by filling out the short form below.

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