Plaintiffs Move to Consolidate Lipitor Lawsuits, Reports Morgan & Morgan
Tampa, FL (PRWEB) November 20, 2013 -- Morgan & Morgan is currently reviewing cases on behalf of women who developed type 2 diabetes after taking the drug Lipitor, as more lawsuits against the drug’s manufacturer, Pfizer, are being filed each week and plaintiffs have submitted a second motion to consolidate the suits into a multidistrict litigation (MDL).
“We believe Pfizer failed to properly warn the public about the risks associated with Lipitor,” attorney Laura V. Yaeger of Morgan & Morgan’s Complex Litigation group said. “The women I’m representing could have avoided these serious medical conditions if it weren’t for Pfizer’s alleged negligence.”
Lipitor belongs to a group of drugs known as statins, which work to lower a patient’s cholesterol. On Feb. 8, 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a safety announcement that all statins would receive safety label changes to include the risk of increased blood sugar levels. Studies cited by the FDA found that patients using Lipitor or another statin are at a 9 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, with postmenopausal women at an overall higher risk of developing new-onset diabetes. Following the FDA’s announcement, women who developed type 2 diabetes after taking Lipitor began filing lawsuits against Pfizer, alleging in court documents that the company was aware of the risk but failed to provide an adequate warning to patients and physicians.* In April 2013, plaintiffs filed a motion to consolidate five pending cases against Pfizer, but the judge denied their request because of the “limited number of involved actions.”
On October 10, 2013, a second motion to consolidate the lawsuits against Pfizer was submitted, with plaintiffs claiming that “the litigation is now considerably different in size and posture.” With 62 cases in 21 different federal districts and lawsuits continuing to be filed each week, plaintiffs believe this number will grow substantially due to Lipitor’s wide-spread use.
“As more cases are filed, and more will be filed, it is only logical for The Judicial Panel of Multidistrict Litigation to consolidate the Lipitor diabetes cases,” Ms. Yaeger said.
The plaintiffs are requesting that all current and future cases be transferred to the District of South Carolina, Charleston Division, where 14 cases are currently consolidated, to provide convenience and accessibility for all parties involved.
The attorneys working with Morgan & Morgan are currently reviewing claims on behalf o women who used Lipitor and were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. For more information and to find out if you may be eligible to file a lawsuit, please visit http://www.forthepeople.com/class-action-lawyers/lipitor-lawsuit.
About Morgan & Morgan
Morgan & Morgan is one of the largest exclusively plaintiffs’ law firms in the country with 15 offices throughout Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and New York. The firm handles cases nationally involving personal injury, medical malpractice, consumer class action, and securities fraud, as well as complex litigation against drug and medical device manufacturers. Visit Morgan & Morgan online at http://www.forthepeople.com/ for a free case evaluation and information about your legal rights.
- In re Lipitor (Atorvastatin) Litigation, MDL No. 2502 (JPML)
Laura V. Yaeger, Morgan and Morgan, http://www.forthepeople.com, +1 8776674265, [email protected]
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