US consumers sue distributors over counterfeit Lipitor pills
US consumers of the cholesterol-reducing drug Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) are suing drug distributors Albers Medical and Med-Pro over the use of counterfeit pills, claiming the companies deceived consumers into purchasing unapproved and potentially harmful drugs.
US consumers of the cholesterol-reducing drug Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) are suing drug distributors Albers Medical and Med-Pro over the use of counterfeit pills, claiming the companies deceived consumers into purchasing unapproved and potentially harmful drugs.
Filed in US District Court in Kansas City by Hagens Berman attorney Thomas Sobol, the suit contends that the distributors schemed with unknown manufacturers to traffic counterfeit Lipitor. The suit also claims the distributors violated several consumer laws by falsely advertising their products as genuine Lipitor when they were actually counterfeit.
FDA commissioner Dr Mark McClellan has stated that the counterfeit product probably came from outside the country, but was packaged in the US, according to the complaint. Distributors have recalled approximately 200,000 bottles since the FDA announced in May that three lots of Lipitor packaged by Albers Medical contained counterfeit pills from an unknown source, and represented a 'potentially significant risk to consumers'.
The suit claims that numerous other Lipitor lots packaged by Albers contained counterfeit pills. Despite the recall, the suit alleges Albers and Med-Pro, along with the pharmacies that resold the counterfeit pills, have failed to refund consumers the millions of dollars paid for the counterfeits - purchased at an average cost in excess of US$200 per 90-tablet bottle.
According to Sobol, consumers have been swindled twice: once when they paid the full price for a counterfeit product, and again when they took a fake pill believing it would aid in reducing their risk of serious illness. 'These distributors failed to match the promises on the label with the product in the bottle,' he said. 'Considering the enormous potential for harm to the millions of people who take Lipitor, we believe the distributors fell flat in their obligation to protect consumers.'
More than 18 million Americans have been prescribed Lipitor, and millions of Americans take the medication daily to help lower their cholesterol levels, the suit states. The suit seeks an order compelling defendants to identify where the counterfeit drugs were obtained, compensatory and punitive damages, and the creation of a trust for the benefit of Lipitor consumers.