Personal Injury Law

Debate Rages About Avandia Risks

By Jamie Sheller

According to confidential government reports obtained by the New York Times, the diabetes drug Avandia is linked to heart attacks and heart failure. The New York Times reports that the confidential government report recommends that Avandia be removed from the market. Avandia is also known as rosiglitazone, and is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. There is currently a debate within the FDA about the future of Avandia. Some officials argue that there is a safe alternative and that Avandia should be withdrawn, while others believe that the research is contradictory and that doctors and patients should continue to have Avandia as an option.

Though the Avandia disagreement is years old, it was recently brought to a head by "a new clinical trial and a Senate investigation that concluded that GlaxoSmithKline should have warned patients earlier of the drug's potential risks." Avandia used to be one of the world's best-selling drugs. But sales dropped in 2007, after an FDA warning which was based on a study suggesting that Avandia harmed the heart. The FDA accepted the recommendation, to keep Avandia on the market, of an independent committee of experts, even though the committee found that Avandia might increase the risk of heart attack.

The results of the Senate investigation into Avandia are expected to be released to the public this week. According to the Senate inquiry, GlaxoSmithKline abused the public trust by failing to warn patients of Avandia's deadly risks. GlaxoSmithKline disagrees with the findings of the Senate investigation.

If you used Avandia and developed heart problems, contact Sheller, P.C. The lawyers at Sheller, P.C. have a long history of successfully representing people who have been injured by defective medications. Sheller is currently handling cases of Avandia injury.

Full post as published by Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyer on February 21, 2010 (boomark / email).