Lipitor has a history of causing type-2 diabetes in women, an unfortunate side effect that led an Illinois woman to join the ranks of hundreds who have filed Lipitor diabetes lawsuits against Pfizer Inc.

Illinois plaintiff Gail Bennett was prescribed Lipitor by her doctor to lower her bad cholesterol (LDL) and as a preventative measure to avoid future cardiovascular disease. Relying on claims made by Pfizer that Lipitor was clinically proven to reduce heart disease risk, she took the drug from 2001 to 2012, according to her Lipitor lawsuit. However, four years after starting her Lipitor treatment, Bennett was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes.

As a result of this diagnosis, Bennett must undergo regular testing of her blood glucose levels, maintain a diabetic diet, establish an exercise regimen, and take diabetes medication, her Lipitor complications lawsuit says. Ironically, in hopes of staying healthy, she is now at a “markedly increased risk of heart disease and blindness, as well as further complications with her diabetes, including neuropathy and kidney disease as a result of her diabetes.”

Bennett says her Lipitor type-2 diabetes was preventable. She says in her Lipitor type-2 diabetes lawsuit that had Pfizer disclosed the risks associated with Lipitor, she could have avoided diabetes by not using it or choosing a different medication, or by monitoring her blood glucose levels. Now, being burdened with Lipitor diabetes, Bennett has incurred “pain and suffering, emotional distress … and significant expenses for medical care and treatment.”

Bennett’s Lipitor diabetes lawsuit alleges failure to warn, negligence, breach of implied and express warranty, negligent misrepresentation, fraud, constructive fraud, unjust enrichment and punitive damages.

The Lipitor Diabetes Lawsuit is Gail Bennett v. Pfizer Inc., Case No. 2:14-cv-2055-RMG, in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Charleston Division.

Overview of Lipitor Complications

With billions of dollars in combined sales annually, statins are among the best-selling drugs in the United States. They use the liver to block the creation of bad cholesterol, a key contributor to coronary artery disease. As women age, and the odds of cardiovascular disease increase, doctors have taken to prescribing Lipitor, or other statins to combat this. However, while these statins work, and keep cholesterol in check, they have some negative side effects.

A recent report in The New York Times said doctors found that women actually get less benefit from statins, but suffer the same health problem risks and side effects, including an increased risk of type-2 diabetes. This relationship between Lipitor and diabetes is an issue that Pfizer allegedly knew about, but failed disclose to the public or medical community.

More than 17 million people have been prescribed Lipitor. Over the drug’s lifetime, Pfizer heavily promoted it to consumers. Direct-to-consumer ad spending for Lipitor is estimated at $1.43 billion between 2000 and 2010, touting the drug’s safety and efficacy. Bennett says that Pfizer “knew or should have known, under the circumstances, that those representations were false.”

In August 2011, the FDA’s Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products told Pfizer to update Lipitor’s warning label to include the diabetes risk. The reason behind the request was that the Food and Drug Administration was receiving a large number of adverse event reports regarding Lipitor, and studies garnered attention. However, it wasn’t until February 2012 that Pfizer complied, and by then, for many including Bennett, it was too late.

A great number of female plaintiffs, including Bennett, say the new warning label is still insufficient. The updated label merely mentions a need to be aware of changes in glucose levels in the blood. It does not state the risk of type-2 diabetes outright.