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Indiana and Kentucky Avandia Attorneys
On February 20th, 2010 the Senate Finance Committee released a report that the Diabetes drug Avandia has been linked to tens of thousands of heart attacks. The Senate committee report also states that manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) knew of the risks for years, but worked to keep them from the public. "Had GSK considered Avandia's potential increased cardiovascular risk more seriously when the issue was first raised in 1999 ... some of these heart attacks may have been avoided," the report states.
"Americans have a right to know there are serious health risks associated with Avandia, and GlaxoSmithKline had a responsibility to tell them," said Committee Chairman U.S. Senator Max Baucus , (D) Montana. "Patients trust drug companies with their health and their lives and GlaxoSmithKline abused that trust."
GlaxoSmithKline rejected any assertions that the drug is not safe. "The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had reviewed the data and concluded that the drug should be on the market." However, the Senate report was conducted in part over a growing concern that the FDA has been "too cozy with drug makers and has been regularly outmaneuvered.”
The Senate report was developed over the past two years by committee investigators who reviewed more than 250,000 pages of documents and conducted numerous interviews. Among their conclusions the report has found that:
- FDA scientists estimated in July 2007 that Avandia was associated with approximately 83,000 Heart Attacks since the drug came to market.
- GlaxoSmithKline undertook attempts to undermine information critical of Avandia.
- Two FDA safety officials sounded a clear alarm in October 2008 writing, "There is strong evidence that Rosiglitazone [Avandia] confers an increased risk of [Heart Attacks] and Heart Failure compared to Pioglitazone [rival drug on market]."
Avandia has been under scrutiny for years. The New England Journal of Medicine called the drug's safety into question in 2007. The Journal of the American Medical Association also questioned whether Avandia was safe in 2007 .
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If you have used Avandia in the past for Diabetes and have suffered a Heart Attack, contact the experienced lawyers of Dyer, Garofalo, Mann & Schultz L.P.A. for help exploring your legal options. Call 1-800-223-8897 or contact us by filling out our online form.
