Suits allege Pfizer concealed Lipitor side effects

By William Murphy

Published on June 08, 2006

The two plaintiffs, former Atlanta insurance executive Charles Wilson, 60, and New York attorney, Michael Mazzariello, 47, say that prolonged use of Lipitor caused them serious physical consequences. Wilson has suffered memory loss, weakness in his limbs, and nervous system damage, which he attributes to using Lipitor for 17 months. Mazzariello says Lipitor is to blame for memory loss and muscle damage that requires him to walk with a cane.

According to a letter written by a Pfizer physician in 2003, the pharmaceutical company knew that Lipitor could cause memory problems and abnormal thinking in 0.5 percent of users, which translates to approximately 110,000 people out of the roughly 22 million who are taking or have taken the statin drug. Krum maintains that Pfizer withheld research results from doctors that showed the extreme side effects possible with Lipitor.

Pfizer has responded by saying that Lipitor is safe and effective. Pfizer spokesperson Bryant Haskins defended the drug, saying that it has been successfully tested or is the subject of current research in more than 400 clinical trials involving more than 80,000 subjects. He said the litigation creates undue worry about a drug that has helped millions of people by reducing cholesterol and related heart disease.

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