Ottawa, CanadaAttorneys in Canada are investigating potential Lipitor lawsuits, alleging Lipitor side effects include an increased risk of developing type II diabetes. Jeff Orenstein, attorney at Consumer Law Group, says his firm has been contacted by people from across Canada who are interested in being part of a Lipitor class-action lawsuit.
Lipitor (known generically as atorvastatin) is a statin drug used to lower a person’s cholesterol by reducing low-density lipoproteins in the patient’s blood. In February 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated Lipitor’s label to include a warning about an increased risk of patients developing type II diabetes while taking Lipitor. Health Canada followed suit in September 2012.
“The people who are at the most significantly increased risk of developing type II diabetes after taking a statin are women who are 50 and older - post-menopausal women,” Orenstein says. “That is the clearest category of people we are looking to contact us.”
That said, anyone who took Lipitor and developed type II diabetes can contact the law firm to investigate the possibility of joining a class-action lawsuit against Pfizer, maker of Lipitor.
Among those who would have the strongest case against Pfizer are people who took Lipitor and developed diabetes before September 2012, although a case could potentially be made for people who took Lipitor after that time that the label change did not sufficiently warn about the risks.
“Before September 2012, it’s our position that had Pfizer put in the patient information precautions about type II diabetes, people could have made an informed decision about taking the drug,” Orenstein says. “Their doctor would also have monitored their blood sugar levels and they would have taken necessary precautions to make sure the patients did not get type II diabetes.”
Lawsuits have been filed in the US, although so far no class-action lawsuits have been filed in Canada. Orenstein says that a big difference between the US and Canada is that in Canada, class-action lawsuits involving personal injury can be filed. Consumer Law Group, which represents clients from across Canada is looking at filing a lawsuit in Quebec, where Pfizer’s Canadian headquarters are located.
Patients who have taken Lipitor and developed type II diabetes are advised to obtain their pharmacy records - so they know when they took Lipitor and when they developed diabetes - and contact Consumer Law Group sooner rather than later.
“Type II diabetes is incurable,” Orenstein says. “You can control it, but it has its own complications. With type II diabetes, the risk of heart problems is higher, which is why you took statins in the first place. It wouldn’t make sense to have a higher risk for something you’re trying to avoid.”
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