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News Articles >> FDA Estimates Approximately 83,000 Heart..
FDA Estimates Approximately 83,000 Heart Attacks caused by Avandia
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| February 7, 2008. |  RSS  Del.icio.us  Seed Newsvine  Facebook |
Rockville, MD: A report released by the Senate Finance Committee in November 2007, stated that an analysis conducted by the FDA that was presented at the safety panel meeting on July 30, 2007 says that approximately 83,000 people suffered heart attacks as a result of taking Avandia.
The report that is called, "The Intimidation of Dr. John Buse and the Diabetes Drug Avandia," provides a summary of the committee's investigatory results regarding the intimidation inflicted upon Dr. Buse by GlaxoSmithKline when he expressed concerns about the effects of Avandia back in 1999.
Dr. Buse's expertise lies with diabetes and he has conducted extensive research on the class of drugs called thiazolidinediones. Avandia is a member of this class of drugs. The committee states that Dr. Buse was a victim of corporate intimidation and was silenced when he voiced his concerns. In other words, his scientific views were suppressed and the public's well-being as well as the federal government's financial well-being were compromised.
It was in November 2007 that the FDA added what is called a "black box warning" to Avandia, the diabetes drug made by GlaxoSmithKline, due to the elevated risk of heart attack and in August 2007 there was a warning regarding the higher risk for heart failure.
In turn, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on October 26, 2007, expressed concern regarding how the FDA assesses and monitors drug risks and how decisions are made regarding notifying the public of risks associated with drugs. Grassley has made it clear that he would like information from the FDA about its internal procedures and its policies that govern the DSOB and what terms and conditions are governing the release of medical information to the public.
As far as those voting to eliminate Avandia from the market, the Department of Veterans Affairs has done so and has also removed Avandia from its own list of approved drugs. Following the Department of Veterans Affairs removing the drug from their list, Health Trans and Prime Therapeutics did the same on December 6, 2007.The past 6 months have consisted of non-stop studies conducted on Avandia. A paper by Dr. Jefrey Drazen, Dr. Gregory Curfman, and Dr. Stephen Morrisey that was published in the June 5, 2007 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, brought even more attention to safety concerns that were first expressed by Kathy Wolski and Dr. Steven Nissen, cardiologists for the Cleveland clinic.
What the paper states is that analysis showed an approximate 40% increased risk of heart attack in patients taking Avandia versus those patients taking diabetic drugs such as sulfonylurea, metformin, or a placebo. It was on September 11, 2007 when two more studies were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. One of those studies, co-authored by Dr. Nissen and Dr. A. Michael Lincoff, found that Actos, Avandiaís competitor, appeared to offer protection against heart attack for diabetic patients. The second study, conducted by Wake Forest University researchers and Dr. Sonal Singh, concluded that diabetic patients taking Avandia had an increased risk of heart attack.
It was on December 18, 2007 that the Baum, Hedlund, Arstei & Goldman law firm, based in Los Angeles, announced that it had filed a lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline regarding Avandia. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a man named Rogelio Larosa and his son, Eric. The lawsuit was filed in regards to the death of Milagros Larosa, the wife and mother of the two plaintiffs. The lawsuit was filed due to negligence, breach of warranty, fraud, and failure to warn of the risks associated with Avandia.
Baum Hedlund has the most extensive track record of all law firms that have represented plaintiffs in suits filed against GlaxoSmithKline.
By Ginger Gillenwater
Avandia Legal Help
If you or a family member have used Avandia and have suffered heart attack, liver damage, or osteoporosis after taking Avandia, please contact a lawyer involved in a possible [Avandia Lawsuit] to review your case at no cost or obligation.
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