Personal Injury Law

Public Citizen warns FDA danger of Avandia

By Jessica Smagacz

Public Citizen, a consumer group, petitioned the FDA asking them to ban Avandia. Avandia is a prescription drug used for diabetes by GlaxoSmithKline.

Public Citizen said “the government should ban the diabetes drug Avandia because of a wide variety of life-threatening risks, including heart and liver damage…”

Similarly, the American Diabetes Association released updated treatment guidelines last week recommending doctors to not use Avandia.

The New England Journal of Medicine first reported two years ago a 43 percent higher risk of heart attacks among patients using Avandia when compared to other parties using other diabetes drugs. Public Citizen found among its research 14 cases of liver failure that was associated with Avandia. 12 of these 14 cases led to death!

Public Citizen has said about 10,000 prescriptions are being filed daily for Avandia. FDA plans on responding to the petition.

FDA should take the studies Public Citizen presented seriously, because prescription drugs can be dangerous, especially when they lead to death.

Full post as published by Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer on November 01, 2008 (boomark / email).