American multinational pharmaceutical company Pfizer is under pressure as the number of lawsuits regarding the side effects of Lipitor are on the rise.
Lipitor belongs to the statins class of drugs that is primarily used to lower down cholesterol level in the body to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Pfizer is facing an increased number of lawsuits as consumers say that the company knew about some of the side effects of the drug, but did not take relevant steps to issue a warning.
The number of federal court cases has seen a steep jump from around just 56 to over 1,000 in the last few months. Most of the plaintiffs have complained that even though Lipitor was able to lower cholesterol level in the body, it also developed type-2 diabetes in the patients.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also issued a statement, which reveals some of the potential side effects of statins.
"The value of statins in preventing heart disease has been clearly established. Their benefit is indisputable, but they need to be taken with care and knowledge of their side effects," says Amy G. Egan, deputy director for safety in FDA's Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products (DMEP).
Reports say that heart diseases are at the top of the list of diseases that cause death. A drug like Lipitor has saved the lives of millions of people worldwide. Lipitor is one of the top-selling prescription drugs of all time and reports suggest that around 29 million Americans have been prescribed Lipitor.
The question that arises is if heart benefit of a medicine such as Lipitor outweighs the risk of getting other diseases such as type-2 diabetes.
A federal judicial panel has asked for all the cases filed against Pfizer under one courtroom. However, the pharmaceutical company is against the consolidation of cases and says that it will result in "copycat filings."
Moreover, Pfizer has also denied that Lipitor causes the onset of type-2 diabetes in patients. The company suggests that it will fight against the lawsuits.
"Pfizer denies the plaintiffs' claims that Lipitor caused their new onset diabetes, a medical condition that is highly prevalent in the patient population prescribed statins, and we intend to vigorously defend against the allegations," writes a company spokesperson, in an email to Medical Daily.
Pfizer has not indicated if it has kept any money aside if it loses the lawsuits, which may result in the company being penalized.
