Tom McCutcheon – Attorney at Law
Lipitor is a drug manufactured by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. Pfizer also owns a generic manufacturer named Greenstone which makes a generic form of Lipitor. Pfizer knew as early as 1997 that Lipitor increased the risk of diabetes.
Lipitor is a drug that is given to decrease cholesterol in the bloodstream. It is known as a statin. There are certainly occasions where a statin drug is needed to lower cholesterol especially in someone who has a high risk of a heart attack or who has previously had a heart attack.
We think that the cases against Lipitor that are strong are in females 51 to 70 years of age with a BMI of 30 or less. BMI or body mass index is determined by a ratio of height to weight. People who have a BMI of 30 or greater fall into the category of obesity. Because the increased risk of heart attack is greater, the use of Lipitor is appropriate because the risks associated with the drug are outweighed by the risk of obesity and high cholesterol.
Because Pfizer knew of the increased risk of diabetes and did not warn the people taking the drug or the physicians prescribing the drug, we think certain people have a good lawsuit. Those people specifically are women 51 to 70 years of age with a BMI of 30 or less with no previous heart attacks and no family history of diabetes who were diagnosed with diabetes after two months of taking Lipitor or within six months of last taking Lipitor.
The law is that a drug manufacturer has to revise the warning with the drug if there is reasonable evidence of an association with an adverse condition or event. That law is found at the code of federal regulation (C.F.R.) 201.57.
I have had a few people ask me about this drug and express their concerns and this is what I think the facts are from a legal standpoint. If you took Lipitor and developed diabetes, you should be suspicious. Don’t make any decision about a drug prescribed for you without discussing this with your personal physician. On the other hand, if you would like to submit a claim, give us a call.
Buckle up and drive safely.
McCutcheon & Hamner
2210 Helton Drive
Florence, AL 35630
256 764-0112
