FDA Bans New Patients from Joining Avandia Safety Study

The FDA, according to ABC News, recently ordered GlaxoSmithKline, manufacturers of the controversial diabetes drug, Avandia, to stop adding new patients to its trial comparing Avandia and another diabetes drug, Actos. It is assumed that this decision is the result of a recent vote by an expert panel which recommended stricter regulation and warnings for Avandia.

The FDA requested the drug study comparing Avandia and Actos in 2007 after a previous vote on Avandia’s safety. Dr. David Graham, author of a study on Avandia’s dangerous side effects has said that the trial is “unethical and exploitative,” because it is set up to look for Avandia’s safety problems.

Avandia has been under heavy criticism lately with several recent medical studies claiming that it increases the risk for heart attacks and heart failure. Also recently, an FDA appointed advisory panel voted to add more substantial warnings to Avandia’s label and more regulations as to who can and cannot take the drug.

Those who have taken the popular diabetes drug Avandia to control their Type II diabetes may be wondering exactly what the safety concerns are. While Avandia is a widely prescribed and useful diabetes drug, recent studies have shown that this medication also has a number of unexpected and potentially fatal side effects.

The side effects caused by the use of Avandia include:

• Congestive Heart Failure
  
• Heart Attack
  
• Stroke
  
• Sudden Death

One of the most serious potential side effects for user of Avandia is a substantially increased risk of suffering a heart attack. In fact, recent studies have estimated that people taking Avandia are 33 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack than those taking other Diabetes medications.

If you or someone you love has suffered any of these side effects from taking the Diabetes drug Avandia, please contact an experienced Avandia lawyer toll-free at 1-800-732-3070 or fill out the short contact form online. Because we work on a contingency basis, you can have peace of mind knowing that you will pay absolutely nothing unless we recover on your behalf.

Dangerous Avandia Side Effects: Heart Attacks and Stroke

Avandia is a drug commonly prescribed for patients with Type II diabetes. It works by making patients’ bodies more sensitive to their own insulin. It was approved for use by the FDA in 1999 and quickly became very popular. In 2006, Avandia sales were approximately $3.4 billion in 200, however sales dropped off in 2007 when the first concerns about its potential heart risks were made public. Since then, Avandia has still been widely prescribed, but recently, with more studies linking Avandia to increased Heart Attack and Stroke risks, doctors and patients have more worries about Avandia.

In July 2010, an FDA advisory panel suggested that the FDA add more warnings and restrictions to Avandia which might mean that patients would have to apply for special permission from their doctors to use the drug. It is thought that, even if the drug is not recalled, sales will still drop and it will become much less popular.

Avandia has many different side effects, but some of the most serious and sometimes fatal are Heart Attack, Congestive Heart Failure, and Stroke. In several studies it has been shown that Avandia increases the risk for all three of these problems, in comparison to other diabetes drugs. People taking Avandia who have experienced these health issues may be entitled to a lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline (the makers of the drug.)

Avandia Lawsuits

If you or someone you love has taken Avandia and experienced a Heart Attack, Congestive Heart Failure, Stroke, Sudden Death, or any other health problems directly related to the above injuries please contact an experienced Avandia lawyer toll-free at 1-800-732-3070 or fill out the short contact form online. Because we work on a contingency basis, you can have peace of mind knowing that you will pay absolutely nothing unless we recover on your behalf.