The Case Against AVANDIA

A new medical study has linked the widely prescribed diabetes drug AVANDIA to greater risk of heart attack, hear failure, and death.

More than 6 million people worldwide have taken the GlaxoSmithKline drug since it came on the market eight years ago. Results of dozens of studies revealed the drug raises the risk of death from heart problems by 64 percent and the risk of heart attack by 43 percent, according to the analysis published by the NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE. The results cast into doubt the safety of the drug, which generated sales of $3 billion last year.

AVANDIA is used to treat Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease and which is linked to obesity. It occurs when the body does not make enough insulin or cannot effectively use what it manages to produce. AVANDIA helps sensitize the body to insulin and was considered by its maker, British-based GlaxoSmithKline, to be a breakthrough medication for blood-sugar control.

Several experts said it is another “Vioxx-like” example of the government failing to detect a safety problem until millions had taken a drug. “The results of this analysis raise serious concerns about the cardiovascular safety'' of AVANDIA, known chemically as rosiglitazone,” said Steven Nissen, the chairman of cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. ``Unfortunately, [AVANDIA] appears to increase, rather than decrease, the most serious complication of diabetes, heart disease.”

If you or a loved one has suffered negative side effects from AVANDIA, you may have legal rights you need to protect.

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