Drugs & Medical Devices
Avandia
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Avandia: FDA Announcement
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Places Significant Restrictions on Diabetes Drug
The September 23, 2010 announcement from the FDA about the future of Avandia, an oral diabetes medication drug that had been linked to a number of serious cardiac complications now means that the drug’s use will be severely limited.
If you or a family member has been injured after taking Avandia, please complete the form on this page to obtain vital information about your legal rights and options from our experienced Avandia attorneys.
Weitz & Luxenberg is also investigating cases where diabetes patients taking either Avandia or Actos subsequently suffered bone fractures. Both post-menopausal women and men taking the drugs in combination with certain diuretic drugs (known as "loop diuretics") are at particular risk for bone fracture injuries.
Since 1999, the diabetes drug Avandia (known generically as Rosiglitazone) has been marketed in the United States by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline. In the time the medication has been on the market, Avandia has come under considerable fire from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European health agencies, and researchers studying potential heart problems linked to the drug.
September 2010 Announcement
On September 23, 2010, the FDA announced it would be severely restricting the use of Avandia, and that the drug will now only be approved to treat patients with Type 2 diabetes whose condition cannot be treated by other available diabetes medications.
The FDA alert came after a July 2010 hearing conducted by an FDA panel to determine whether a Glaxo-funded study had misreported data about the cardiac health risks associated with the drug. The Glaxo study was contradicted by a 2007 study conducted by a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic that indicated cardiac health risk rates for diabetics taking Avandia, including the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure.
Avandia’s Link to Cardiac Problems and Bone Fractures
The FDA’s announcement was based on the task force’s review of the potential risk for Avandia patients to suffer serious heart problems. A number of medical reports have linked Avandia to high risk rates for heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and other life-threatening cardiac events.
The drug has also been linked to high bone fracture risk rates. An article published in the July 2010 edition of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism reported on a study that linked the use of Avandia and other drugs classified as thiazolidinediones (TZDs) in combination with a class of drugs known as “loop diuretics.” That study concluded that patients taking both Avandia and loop diuretics faced a significantly higher risk rate for bone fractures.
Weitz & Luxenberg Can Help
If you or a loved one has suffered a heart attack, stroke, heart failure or other serious heart problems, or developed a fracture after taking Avandia to treat their diabetes, our Avandia lawyers may be able to help you to seek compensation for your illness, pain and suffering and other financial compensation.
Please complete the form on this page for a free and confidential review of your potential Avandia lawsuit. A Weitz & Luxenberg representative will contact you as soon as possible.
see also:
9-2010 FDA Announcement
Avandia: FDA Announcement | Weitz & Luxenberg Avandia injury attorneysSeptember 2010 FDA announcement restricts the use of Avandia. Free legal case review available for patients who suffered a heart attack or other injury.
Firm's Press Release
Avandia Lawyers | Weitz & LuxenbergAvandia press release from Weitz & Luxenberg's Avandia lawyers regarding heart risks associated with using type 2 diabetes medication.
