Female and Elder Consumers and Payers Sue Pfizer Over Deceptive Marketing of Lipitor(R)
Consumers today filed the first-of-its- kind nationwide class-action lawsuit against Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), claiming the world’s largest drug company misled consumers into using its anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor despite the absence of evidence from clinical trials that these drugs are of any benefit to large segments of the population. According to Steve Berman, the lead attorney for the proposed class, Pfizer promoted Lipitor by claiming it prevents heart disease in women and the elderly, where no clinical test has established such a benefit. In fact, according to the complaint, women without heart disease taking Lipitor actually developed 10 percent more heart attacks than women treated with a placebo.
The lawsuit alleges that Pfizer engaged in a massive campaign to convince both doctors and patients that Lipitor is a beneficial treatment for nearly everyone with elevated cholesterol, even though no studies have shown it to be effective for women and those over 65 years of age who do not already have heart disease or diabetes.