After many years and dozens of studies linking the diabetes drug Avandia to heart attacks, last week the FDA finally began to take the problem seriously. The agency posted a 700-page review of the drug and is now waiting for a panel of outside experts to vote this week whether to add warning labels, allow certain doctors to prescribe the drug, or take it off the market.
The FDA commissioned the outside panel because its own scientists could not agree on the severity of the risk. Last month, a leading FDA scientist published an article suggesting that Avandia is likely to cause both strokes and heart attacks. He estimated that the drug may already have caused 100,000 heart-related deaths and wants the drug banned. The 2007 analysis which linked the drug to heart attacks only resulted in an additional warning label, but the label took several months to appear.
Manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline raked in $2.2 billion in 2006 from sales of this dangerous drug. Since then sales have dropped amidst controversy, but Avandia is still used by hundreds of thousands of Americans with type 2 diabetes. As usual, manufacturers are putting profits ahead of safety, and the FDA is asleep at the wheel when it comes to protecting consumers.
If you believe you have been harmed by an unsafe drug, contact Hodes Milman for a free case evaluation. We’re aggressive personal injury and medical malpractice lawyers based in Los Angeles, serving all of California. We have the experience to take on the legal teams of pharmaceutical companies and have achieved multi-million dollar verdicts for our clients. Call us toll-free at (949) 640-8222 or submit the contact form via our website, www.hodesmilman.com.
