Avandia Lawsuit

Avandia Increases Risk of Heart Attacks

Avandia, a drug used to treat Type 2 diabetes leads to an increased risk of heart problems and heart attacks. Patients have died from heart related deaths because of Avandia. Since 2007 there have been many studies to show the dangers associated with Avandia.

Avandia is a drug used in the management of Type 2 diabetes, a condition also known as adult-onset diabetes. Patients who have Type 2 diabetes are unable to use insulin or their body produces too little insulin. Avandia is designed to assist the body in using insulin more effectively to lower blood sugar. It helps manage and control blood sugar levels in patients.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an alert in May 2007 warning of the increased risk of heart attack and cardiac events leading to death. Since the alert, the FDA has asked Avandia’s manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, to place the most serious warning a drug label can bear, a “black box” warning, on the drug. Congressional investigators are looking into claims that GlaxoSmithKline “silenced one or more medical professionals who attempted to speak out about the potential for cardiovascular problems with Avandia.”

An article in The New York Times reported that one early critic of Avandia, Dr. John B. Buse, was “intimidated” by the drug company. As early as 2000, Dr. Buse, a diabetes specialist who was slated to become the next president of the American Diabetes Association, charged in a letter to the FDA that Glaxo had used “blatant selective manipulation of data” to overstate the benefits of Avandia and to understate its risks. CLICK HERE to read the FDA news release.

In June 2007, an article was published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that patients using Avandia have a 43% greater risk of suffering a heart attack and a 64% greater risk of dying from a cardiovascular event while taking Avandia than those not using Avandia. These findings were based upon 42 studies involving 15,560 patients who took Avandia and 12,283 who took other drugs or were given placebo. The study, conducted by doctors at the renowned Cleveland Clinic, presents important concern, as diabetics are already prone to heart disease.

The scientific evidence against Avandia continued to be found. In November 2008, Public Citizen, a public interest organization, petitioned the FDA to remove Avandia from the market. Public Citizen was gravely concerned about the serious side effects caused by Avandia. Including liver failure, heart attacks or heart failure, bone fractures, anemia and vision loss. According to Public Citizen’s own analysis, there have been 14 cases of liver failure caused by Avandia, of that 12 resulted in the death of the patient. Public Citizen wanted an immediate ban of Avandia.

In a recent study, conducted by Harvard Medical School, elderly patients with diabetes who took Avandia, have a greater risk of developing congestive heart failure and dying as a result. Their risk of heart failure and death increases by 15%. Both the European Association for the Study of Diabetes and the American Diabetes Association have taken Avandia off their list of recommended drug treatments for Type 2 diabetes.

It is clear from the scientific evidence and studies completed that Avandia was rushed to the market before careful testing was completed. The FDA approved Avandia in 1999. Avandia’s manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), heavily marketed Avandia to the public. In 2006, over 13.2 million prescriptions for Avandia were filled in the U.S. Although the number is declining due to new studies of its risks, as of June 2008, 4.6 million prescriptions were still being filled each year. GSK is doing a booming business because of Avandia. They are making nearly $3 billion dollars in sales because of Avandia.

PLEASE SPEAK WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE DISCONTINUING THE USE OF AVANDIA OR ANY OTHER PERSCRIPTION MEDICATION.

If you believe that you or a loved one has suffered as a result of taking Avandia, you may want to speak with an attorney, today, regarding your potential lawsuit. A lawyer familiar with new developments in the investigation of Avandia may be able to help you make important personal and legal decisions.

Please contact the law offices of d'Oliveira & Associates at 1-800-992-6878 or fill out a contact form for a free legal consultation.