July 12, 2013 — Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcome, a journal of the American Heart Association, has published a study linking Lipitor to a 9% increased risk of type-2 diabetes. The study is significant because it is one of the largest studies to link Lipitor and diabetes, involving nearly 250,000 people. The researchers concluded, “statins as a class resulted in a significantly higher odds of diabetes.”
The research adds to the growing number of studies linking diabetes to statins, a class of drugs that lower cholesterol levels. According to this Drug Safety Communication published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2012, other studies have also linked statins to a 9% increased risk of diabetes. In January 2012, a study of more than 150,000 post-menopausal women found that they were 50% more likely to report developing type-2 diabetes if they took a stain.
Pfizer, the manufacturer of Lipitor, is now facing a growing number of Lipitor diabetes lawsuits from people who took the drug and developed type-2 diabetes. Lawsuits allege that Pfizer failed to adequately warn about the risk.
Drugs in the statin class included in the study:
- Lipitor (atorvastatin)
- Zocor (simvastatin)
- Crestor (rosuvastatin)
- Pravachol (pravastatin)
- Lescol (fluvastatin)
- Mevacor (lovastatin)