Waynesburg couple sues Pfizer
A Waynesburg couple has filed a civil suit with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania against a New York-based pharmaceutical company.
Dorothy M. and Charles W. Tennant claimed in the suit filed on Thursday that Dorothy Tennant developed diabetes after taking the statin drug marketed as Lipitor by Pfizer Inc.
The couple is seeking an undisclosed financial amount for general damages, medical and hospital expenses, refund for all costs for the purchase of Lipitor, attorney fees and any other recoverable costs.
Lipitor is used to reduce the amount of cholesterol and other fatty substances in the blood and was prescribed to Dorothy Tennant in October 2010, according to the suit filed by attorney Alan T. Silko of Levicoff, Silko and Deemer of Pittsburgh, and attorney Elizabeth M. Burke of the South Carolina law firm of Richardson, Patrick, Westbrook and Brickman.
Lipitor was prescribed to Dorothy Tennant to lower her levels of low-density lipoprotein and as a preventive measure to decrease her risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to the suit.
“She relied on claims made by Pfizer that Lipitor has been clinically shown to reduce the risk of developing heart disease,” said the suit. “The plaintiff was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes after initiating her Lipitor treatment.”
Dorothy Tennant stopped taking the drug in December 2011.
The suit states that had Dorothy Tennant been made aware of the risks by Pfizer, she would have not used the drug or closely monitored her blood glucose levels to determine if it had an adverse effect on her metabolism.
“Due to her diabetes, she is now at markedly increased risk of heart disease, blindness, neuropathy and kidney disease,” said the suit.
In addition to the diabetes, Dorothy Tennant has also incurred severe and permanent physical and emotional injuries.
“(Dorothy Tennant) has endured pain and suffering, has suffered economic loss, including incurring significant expenses for medical care and treatment, and will continue to incur such expenses in the future,” said the suit.
Through their legal counsel, the Tennants said that Pfizer was aware of the probable consequences but continued to market the drug.
“(Pfizer) willfully and deliberately failed to avoid the consequences associated with its failure to warn, and, in doing so, (Pfizer) acted with a conscious disregard for the safety of (Dorothy Tennant),” said the suit.
A trial date has not been set.