Focus On A Prescription Drug: Avandia | IL Defective Drug Lawyer

Avandia, technically known as rosiglitazone, is a prescription drug used to treat Type 2 diabetes. The drug, which is taken by millions of people in the United States every day, has been the center of some controversy over the past few years as studies and defective drug lawsuits have pointed to some of the drug’s serious adverse effects. It is manufactured and marketed by the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline.

Avandia was approved by the FDA in 1999 and has been prescribed by doctors since that time despite the known side effects of hepatitis, eye damages, and heart damage. While it does those with diabetes maintain glycemic control, there are other similar medicines on the market such as pioglitazone (Actos) that are not associated with such severe side effects.

In the summer of 2007, the New England Journal of Medicine published a study that found that patients regularly taking Avandia had a significantly higher risk for heart disease and heart attacks. In fact, those on Avandia had a 43 percent increase in heart attacks. More recently, a Senate Finance Committee report revealed that Avandia may be causing hundreds of preventable heart attacks across the country each month. However, another study, this one funded by GlaxoSmithKline, found that although taking the drug did increase chances of heart disease, it did not increase the risk of heart attacks.

Currently, the FDA recommends that those taking Avandia do not stop taking their medication, as uncontrolled diabetes can have serious and harmful health effects. Instead, if you are concerned about the drug, talk to your doctor about your options.

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