Atlanta Avandia Side Effects Injury Attorneys
Georgia Avandia Side Effect Injury Lawyers, Representing Injured People Throughout Georgia
Avandia (generic "rosiglitazone maleate") is a Type II diabetes drug manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Since the FDA approved Avandia in 1999, there have been tens of millions of prescriptions written. Avandia has been linked to serious health risks including a substantially increased risk of heart attacks as well as bone fractures, liver damage and death. As early as June 1997, the New England Journal of Medicine published a report that suggested patients taking Avandia had a 43 percent higher risk of suffering a heart attack and had double the risk of heart failure after taking the drug for at least twelve months. The clinical trial also suggested that Avandia might increase fatalities from general heart disease by 64 percent.
You may be entitled to legal compensation if you have previously taken Avandia and have experienced serious side effects including:
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Liver damage
- Congestive heart failure
- Fracture of the hands or feet
- Death
Avandia was marketed as an effective treatment for Type II diabetes (also called "adult onset diabetes"). Approximately 21 million people in the U.S. suffer from this deadly disease which is responsible for the death of over 300,000 people per year. Type II diabetes is characterized by the failure of insulin in the body to absorb glucose in the blood. Avandia works by increasing the body's sensitivity to insulin, reducing the serious health effects of Type II diabetes.
GSK was aware of the serious heart attack risks associated with Avandia as early as 1999 when the drug was first approved. An article in the New York Times reported that the drug company authorized a study at that time because it was concerned about the drug's effectiveness and safety in relation to another leading diabetes drug. The company's study not only showed that Avandia was significantly more dangerous but that it was no more effective at treating Type II diabetes. While the drug manufacturer would later admit being aware of the increased heart attack risk associated with Avandia as early as 2005, the company covered up the fact that it was aware of this risk as far back as 1999.
FDA scientists indicated in 2007 that Avandia could be linked to 83,000 heart attacks. The FDA provided a report to the U.S. Senate which severely criticized the manufacturers of Avandia, "Had GlaxoSmithKline considered Avandia's potential increased cardiovascular risk more seriously when it was first raised in 1999. . . some of these heart attacks may have been avoided." The FDA report to the U.S. Senate went on to indicate that the drug manufacturer had taken great pains to undermine any scientific evidence that showed the drug in a negative light. The report stated, "GlaxoSmithKline executives attempted to intimidate independent physicians, focused on strategies to minimize or misrepresent findings that Avandia may increase cardiovascular risk, and sought to downplay finding that a competing drug might reduce cardiovascular risk.
Other developments regarding the adverse side effects of Avandia are no more encouraging. In fact, the heart attack risk associated with Avandia is so high that the government halted its own 2008 trial involving 10,000 patients 18 months early. The FDA in terminating the clinical trial called the trial "unethical and exploitive" of patients in light of the estimated 83,000 heart attacks attributed to Avandia between 1999 and 2007. GSK was ordered to add a Black Box warning to Avandia as far back as November 14, 2007 about the potential risks of heart attack. A Black Box warning is the strongest warning required by the FDA and applies when medical studies indicate a significant risk of serious or life threatening side effects.
At Montlick and Associates, we believe that drug companies that cover up or fail to warn patients of the potential serious health risks associated with their drug should be accountable to those that they injure. If you have suffered a serious Avandia related injury or medical condition, such as heart attack, congestive heart failure, cardiovascular disease, fractures, stroke or death, you may have a right to legal compensation. Contact us for your free consultation to discuss your rights. Our experienced Georgia Avandia side effect lawyers are available to assist clients throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.
