As part of our commitment to providing zealous legal representation for our clients, the law offices of GWC Injury Lawyers are currently evaluating potential cases resulting from injuries or deaths that have occurred due to the use of the drug Avandia, a popular prescription pharmaceutical used to treat type 2 diabetes. Our team of Chicago Avandia lawyers has both the experience and the resources necessary to handle the type of complex legal issues that someone who is seeking compensation for Avandia-related injuries will undoubtedly face.
As a result of using Avandia, people have suffered from fluid retention, congestive heart failure, heart damage, heart blockages, cardiovascular ischemia, heart attacks, hemorrhagic strokes, ischemic strokes, and even sudden cardiac death. If you or a loved one have experienced any of these symptoms while using Avandia or if you would like to learn more about filing an Avandia lawsuit, contact the Illinois Avandia lawyers at GWC Injury Lawyers for a free consultation. As always, we represent our clients on a contingency fee basis so that our clients dont have to worry about the significant financial expenses associated with filing and litigating a lawsuit against a large pharmaceutical company.
Avandia (also known as Rosiglitazone Maleate) is a drug that is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and was first approved for use in 1999 for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and is used by millions of people worldwide. Avandia works to help control blood sugar levels in diabetics by making patients more sensitive to their own insulin. In 2006, GlaxoSmithKline saw sales of Avandia surpass $3.4 billion dollars.
Despite its popularity, Avandia has been the center of controversy due to the serious health risks associated with use of the drug. In May of 2007, a widely publicized article in The New England Journal of Medicine estimated that users of Avandia faced a 43 percent higher risk of suffering a heart attack or other cardiovascular injuries.
Currently, over 13,000 Avandia lawsuits have been filed against GlaxoSmithKline for Avandia-related injuries and they have reportedly agreed to pay $460 million to resolve 10,000 of those lawsuits so far. These settlements come amidst a growing concern over the Food and Drug Administrations (FDAs) position on the long-term risks associated with Avandia. In 2007, the FDA voted to keep Avandia on the market, although it later added a black-box warning about the potential heart risks associated with the drug. As recently as July 2010, the FDA held an advisory panel in order to review new scientific data relating to the safety of Avandia in the market. Although the panel agreed that there were significant safety concerns that the use of Avandia raises the risk of heart attack and chest pain, the majority of the panel did not go so far as to recommend a recall of the drug.
Even as the issue of whether the FDA should remove Avandia from the market is being debated in the United States, an independent panel of experts has recommended that Avandia be removed from European markets. In Britain, the UKs Commission on Human Medicines unanimously voted to advise the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to take Avandia off the market. In a statement, the MHRA has confirmed that evidence now suggests that the risks associated with Avandia outweigh the benefits and that it no longer has a place on the UK market.
While the eventual outcome of the FDAs determination of whether to keep Avandia on the market is uncertain at this point, there is no doubt that the use of Avandia has been associated with an increased risk of heart attacks and other related conditions. If you or a loved one are suffering from any of the potential health risks and problems associated with Avandia use, contact a Chicago Avandia attorney at GWC Injury Lawyers for a free consultation. For your free consult, please call 1-312-464-1234 or fill out our online contact form and we will get back to you as soon as possible to answer any of your questions.
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