A new U.S. Senate Committee on Finance staff report suggests that GlaxoSmithKline (“GSK”) has known for several years that there were possible cardiac risks associated with the diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitazone), once one of the drug manufacturer’s most financially successful products. Such knowledge, the report alleges, imposed a duty to warn patients and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) about concerns over the link between Avandia and heart attacks.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in May 2007 showed a link between Avandia and heart attacks, finding a 43 percent higher risk of heart attack for those taking Avandia compared to those taking other diabetes drugs or no diabetes medication. The new committee report, however, found that “GSK executives attempted to intimidate independent physicians, focused on strategies to minimize or misrepresent findings that Avandia may increase cardiovascular risk, and sought ways to downplay findings that a competing drug might reduce cardiovascular risk.”
The FDA is now reviewing data submitted in August 2009 from a large, long-term study on possible heart-related risks with Avandia. It has estimated that the drug caused 83,000 heart attacks between 1999 and 2007. But the FDA has emphasized that it has not made any new conclusions or recommendations about the use of rosiglitazone in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It has advised that patients prescribed Avandia should not stop taking their medication without first talking with their health care professionals.
If Avandia is an example of a pharmaceutical company putting profits over people, patients should rightly be extremely concerned. Such corporate choices can lead to serious injuries and death. Contact your doctor immediately if you have concerns about an Avandia prescription.
If you or a loved one have been harmed after taking a prescribed medication, contact a prescription drug lawyer and medical malpractice attorney. Our Portland, Oregon personal injury law firm is currently investigating product liability claims involving personal injury or death related to Avandia, Byetta, or other prescription drugs used in the diabetes treatment. The Law Office of Dane E. Johnson provides a no-cost, no-obligation legal consultation. Call us toll free at (800) 714-3204 or reach us through our online attorney contact form here.
Related Web Resources
Staff of S. Comm. on Finance, 111th Cong., Report on GlaxoSmithKline and the Diabetes Drug Avandia (Comm. Print 2010).
FDA, Consumer Updates, Safety Review of Avandia (Rosiglitazone)
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