Lipitor Lipitor Side Effects, Drug Lipitor, Medication, Lawsuits Filed, Haskins

Lawsuits Filed Over Lipitor Side Effects

By DAVID B. CARUSO

The Associated Press

Thursday, June 8, 2006; 9:33 PM

NEW YORK -- Two men who believe they suffered lasting muscle damage
from taking the popular anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor are suing
medication's maker, Pfizer Inc., claiming the company didn't issue
loud enough warnings about potential side effects.

Charles M. Wilson, a former insurance executive from Atlanta, and
Michael Mazzariello, an attorney from New York City, said in separate
lawsuits that they began experiencing debilitating pain, weakness and
memory problems after taking the drug.

"It ruined my life," said Mazzariello, 47. He said that within weeks
of going on the medication, he couldn't walk without a cane, tend his
garden or lift his 1-year-old child.

The symptoms subsided once Mazzariello stopped taking the medication _
he stood under his own power at a news conference Thursday at a
Manhattan hotel _ but he said he still suffers from pain, fatigue and
a tingling sensation in his hands and feet.

Pfizer called the two suits "baseless" and vowed to fight them in
court. A spokesman for the company, Bryant Haskins, said all potential
side effects of the drug are included on its labeling and often
mentioned in advertising.

Haskins said the number of Lipitor users experiencing those symptoms
is "very, very small ... well under 1 percent," and that they are far
outnumbered by the millions of people who have taken it safely.

Mark Krum, the lawyer handling the suits filed by Wilson and
Mazzariello, acknowledged that the medication may be safe for most
people, but he said that didn't absolve the company of its duty to
market it responsibly and adequately disclose side effects.