Lipitor MDL Growing, and Likely to Continue with New Guidelines

Washington, DCThe number of lawsuits alleging atorvastatin type 2 diabetes from Lipitor continues to grow, with filings almost doubling within a month, latest statistics show.

According to various sources close to the Lipitor Diabetes Lawsuits MDL, there were 464 claims filed against Pfizer Inc., the manufacturer of Lipitor, with regard to new-onset type 2 diabetes as of April 15 of this year. A month later, that number had risen to 703 claims by May 15.

The Lipitor multidistrict litigation is In re Lipitor (Atorvastatin) Litigation, MDL No. 2502, US District Court, District of South Carolina.

The onset of type 2 diabetes is considered a rare side effect of statin use. And yet lawsuits alleging new-onset type 2 diabetes continue to rise. And while the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated a label change for all statins as it relates to the potential and possibility for new-onset type 2 diabetes, the wording was convoluted and vague, therefore ineffective - or so it has been alleged - in adequately warning consumers as to that possibility.

A lawsuit brought by Margaret Clark made such an allegation - the wording of the warning label may have been Greek, for all she knew. It is also alleged that Pfizer knew about the potential for type 2 diabetes associated with Lipitor - which was released to the market in 1996 - but failed to warn.

Then there is the potential for memory loss and confusion associated with statin use - a side effect that has dropped off the radar somewhat given the focus on atorvastatin type 2 diabetes. But the problem was very real for one woman who was profiled on ABC World News Tonight back in 2008.

The subject of the news report, who was taking Lipitor for cholesterol control, was becoming increasingly forgetful and confused. Her family was beginning to think in terms of Alzheimer’s and the need for long-term care. But then she stopped taking the Lipitor, and within weeks her confusion and forgetfulness disappeared.

Interviewed at the time by Diane Sawyer on ABC World News Tonight, ABC Medical Correspondent Dr. Timothy Johnson told Sawyer that a potential reason why a statin like Lipitor can affect the brain is that “a statin lowers cholesterol, and our brain is full of cholesterol - in the linings of our nerves - and so, it is theoretically possible that if we change [the] cholesterol level it might affect brain tissue. We don’t have hard proof of that but it certainly is theoretically possible. And it’s to this Lipitor, we get most reports on that drug because it’s the Number One seller, but we have heard reports from other statins also.”

Changes to treatment protocols involving statins - Lipitor among them - could result in heightened use of statins. Until recently, statins were favored for patients with high levels of LDL cholesterol who were at risk for heart attack and stroke. However, it is now recommended that statins be prescribed as a preventative strike regardless of risk.

According to Kaiser Health News (3/20/14), in an article produced in association with National Public Radio (NPR), the new guidelines could see half of all Americans over 40 years of age taking statins like Lipitor. That’s an increase of 13 million users above today’s numbers.

It is assumed, therefore, were that to come to fruition, the Lipitor MDL alleging new-onset atorvastatin type 2 diabetes as well as a litany of other Lipitor side effects could get a whole lot bigger…