Avandia

Avandia is a medication produced by GlaxoSmithKline for treatment of Type 2 Diabetes. It has been shown that the medication dramatically increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. While the pill has not been recalled, it has been the subject of a multimillion dollar lawsuit.

Avandia

Avandia is a medication produced by the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline to treat Type 2 Diabetes. It was released into circulation in 2006 when sales of it went over two billion dollars. In 2010, lawsuits against GlaxoSmithKline began to take place due to serious conditions caused by the drug.

Through several studies, it has been shown that Avandia and its generic Rosiglitazone, are responsible for high risks of heart attacks and stroke. In fact, one study showed that the risk to patients taking Avandia for more than a year for a heart attack goes up by more than 40%. Because of this, an extensive investigation has taken place. At this time, though, the FDA has not enforced a recall and has not removed the drug from the market. Instead, the Food and Drug Administration has released a warning that the medication can increase the risk of heart attacks, heart disease and strokes. In addition, the FDA offers an Avandia awareness and access program to keep users of the medication aware of any updates to the pill’s warnings and side effects.

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In New Zealand and in the UK, the drug has been removed from the market altogether.
The known adverse effects of the medication include a highly increased risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke as well as bone fractures, damage to the eye and hepatitis. However, it is the increased risk of heart disease that has lead to the scrutiny of the medication. While the FDA has not recalled the product, it was not tested thoroughly enough to show these adverse effects until the medication was released on the market.

Since the patent on Avandia will run out in 2012, it is questionable whether or not the medication will continue to be made and distributed in light of the side effects and the coinciding lawsuits. The drug is also marketed under the names Avandamet and Avandaryl.

The Avandia lawsuits toward GlaxoSmithKline have ranged from class action to business suits. For example, the county of Santa Clara in California is suing the company for $2 million dollars in money spent to purchase the medication for local hospitals. As of 2010, GlaxoSmithKline paid out $460 million in settlements to 1,500 people who were involved in a class action law suit over the medication. That equals out to about $300,000 per person involved in the lawsuit.

If you have taken Avandia or the medication by any other name, then you are due money in compensation. Call Atlanta John Foy today, at (404) 879-7518 so that he can help you get that compensation that you are owed.