Pfizer Hit with 10 New Lipitor Lawsuits

By William Murphy

Published on September 13, 2006

Coming on the heels of 17 similar suits filed in July, the 10 new lawsuits accuse Pfizer of promoting Lipitor as safe when the company had information that the drug could cause serious and permanent health problems. The new lawsuits were filed in New York State Supreme Court on September 7 on behalf of plaintiffs from New York, Delaware, New Jersey, Idaho, Illinois, Georgia, and South Carolina.

The plaintiffs allege that Pfizer knowingly failed to warn patients and doctors that Lipitor's side effects included neurological and cognitive impairment problems. The suits also allege that Pfizer continued to market Lipitor as safe despite receiving two letters from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration since 2001 warning the company that its marketing materials did not provide sufficient information about Lipitor's risks.

Pfizer maintains that extensive research has proven Lipitor safe and free of any link to the harmful side effects alleged in the suits.

Lipitor is currently the world’s best-selling drug. In 2005, Lipitor sales exceeded $12 billion.

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