July 22, 2009, 11:45:00AM. By Heidi Turner

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St. Louis, MO: If you are a patient taking Avandia and have suffered a heart attack or stroke, your time for filing a lawsuit may be running out, according to attorney Jeff Lowe, with The Lowe Law Firm. Avandia is used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus but studies have linked Avandia to an increased risk of adverse heart events.

"Avandia was found to have an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes," Lowe says. "The problems it causes are similar to those caused by Vioxx. Avandia is believed to increase a certain subset of cholesterol that also increases the risk of heart attacks.

"The FDA issued a safety alert in May, 2007, based on different studies, and found that people with underlying heart disease are at an increased risk of one of those events [heart attack or stroke] if they are taking Avandia," Lowe says. "There was a meta-analysis, where researchers looked at different studies, and that showed a 30 to 40 percent greater risk of a heart attack in patients treated with Avandia than people treated with a placebo or other diabetes therapies."

So far, the FDA has not recalled Avandia, preferring instead to require the drug to include a boxed warning, alerting patients to the increased risks associated with the drug. That announcement came after recommendations were made at the joint meeting between FDA's Endocrine and Metabolic Drugs Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee.

"Patients who are taking Avandia and suffered an adverse heart event should see an attorney," Lowe says. "The black box warning was added on November 14, 2007. It warns people with underlying heart disease that they should be monitored closely while they are taking Avandia. The statute of limitations, if you go from the black box warning, would be Nov 14, 2009 for people residing in states with a two year statute of limitations. Patients should definitely seek legal help immediately or risk being barred by the statute of limitations."

Depending on where you live, the statute of limitations varies, but it is important to seek legal help before that statute runs out. An experienced attorney can help to determine if you have a valid claim against the maker of Avandia. Avandia was originally approved to treat diabetes in 1999 and is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline.

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