Avandia Lawsuit and Side
Effect Information

Despite being originally hailed as a better form of diabetic control, patients sought to file Avandia lawsuits after experiencing serious Avandia side effects. If you have suffered hepatitis, liver failure or congestive heart failure from taking Avandia, seek legal counsel to assess the potential for an Avandia lawsuit.

Avandia Overview

When the diabetic drug Rezulin was withdrawn from the market due to the number of deaths it caused, Avandia (rosiglitazone maleate), made by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), was hailed as a better replacement for Type II diabetes. It turns out expectations for Avandia were misplaced, as it also has serious side effects. Avandia belongs to the drug class thiazolidinedione.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took issue with the promotion of Avandia because of the serious side effects and because GSK minimized the risks. Despite the FDA's concerns, they approved the drug for use in 1999, noting they had reservations about liver toxicity.

The FDA also added it "appeared" Avandia was safer than Rezulin. Consumers don't agree with the FDA assessment and are seeking legal advice on filing Avandia lawsuits. Unfortunately, roughly one million scripts were inked for Avandia before a study showed it increased the risk of heart attacks by up to 40 percent.

Avandia studies have showed this drug can cause congestive heart failure (CHF). It is already known to cause fluid accumulation. This factor makes it a highly risky drug to give to anyone with a history of CHF or kidney problems. Study after study still comes to the same conclusion, Avandia side effects can be life threatening.

The Department of Veteran Affairs has restricted its use of Avandia. Since the Department accounts for at least 8 percent of Avandia's sales, this is a major blow to GSK profit numbers. Overall sales for this drug since Avandia side effects became well known dropped roughly 60 percent. Many people have called lawyers about filing an Avandia lawsuit.

Despite numerous studies that confirm the higher risk of heart attacks while taking Avandia, GSK denies the risk of heart attacks being higher than other oral diabetic medications. The FDA is still sitting on the fence despite the knowledge that Avandia caused at least 205,000 heart attacks and strokes over an 8-year period. Avandia is approved for use in at least 26 countries worldwide.

Avandia Problems & History of Legal Action

Due to the serious problems with this drug, the FDA finally issued a call for a black box warning to be added to Avandia in 2007. The warning emphasizes the drug may cause or worsen heart failure in certain patients. As part of this warning, GSK was to also add the increased risk of broken bones in women, especially in the hands and feet.

Other drugs in the same class as Avandia, pioglitazone and troglitazone, have been taken off the market because of liver problems.

Other minor Avandia side effects include sinusitis, back pain, fatigue, headache and weight gain. Millions of Americans have taken this drug. They may not realize the consequences for several years. Those more seriously affected may be thinking of filing an Avandia lawsuit.

Lawsuits of note against drug maker GlaxoSmithKline have been and are for:

* Paxil/paroxetine - anti-depressant, also used for children
* Wellbutrin/Zyban - anti-anxiety and stop smoking drug
* Class action lawsuit - Medicaid fraud in 40 states for inflating the price of cancer drugs and other drugs
* Biota Drug Company - for not achieving market share for flu vaccine Relenza
* Serevent - asthma inhaler
* Relafen - anti-inflammatory for arthritis
* Proctor & Gamble - lawsuit over Boniva (osteoporosis drug) ads
* Antitrust Class Action - lying to patent office to delay generic Wellbutrin from hitting the market

Current Status of Avandia Lawsuits

Avandia is still being sold despite its track record and other concerns. It still continues to be prescribed although not as frequently. GSK is gearing up for a landslide of lawsuits relating to Avandia. This will likely intensify quickly due to the US government announcing that their 10,000 patient ACCORD clinical trial on diabetes treatment has been stopped. It was shut down a year and a half early due to an increased risk of patient death.

If you have suffered severe Avandia side effects, contact an attorney about filing an Avandia lawsuit. You may be entitled to an award for your losses.




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