Avandia Safety Issues Draw Congressional Scrutiny
The controversial diabetes medicine Avandia is the subject of a new U.S. Senate committee report stemming from a Senate Finance Committee investigation headed by Senators Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican, and Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat. (PDF of the Report)
The report states that drug company GlaxoSmithKline knowingly obscured the risks of heart attacks and other serious side effects of the drug Avandia. It also takes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USDA) to task for failing to protect the public and keep the dangerous drug off the market.
Senator Grassley stated that “FDA officials can try to spin this story, but the simple truth is that drug-company emails from two years ago spoke of cardiovascular deaths, and nobody taking the drug was told of the risk until our committee report exposed the information.”
Representative Rosa DeLauro released a statement that urged the FDA “to remove Avandia from the market until a truly independent, science-based advisory panel can evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the drug. The safety and efficacy of a prescription drug should be based on independent, science-based evidence, and not a drug company’s interpretation of what constitutes science-based evidence. The Avandia case provides further evidence that patients should not trust drug companies with their health.”
The potential side effects of Avandia include stroke, heart attack, blood clots, severe allergic reactions, breathing difficulty, swelling, blurry vision, chest pain, fainting, arm or leg numbness, severe headaches, stomach pain, vomiting, heart failure and liver problems, yellowing of the skin or eyes, unexplained nausea, stomach pain, anxiety, increased sweating, dizziness or drowsiness, chills, tremors, unusual bone pain, unusual weakness and other ailments.
More than a million people have taken Avandia. If you or a loved one are amongst those who have taken Avandia and have been exposed to its potentially serious side effects without warning of those hazards, you may have a claim against the manufacturer of Avandia and should consult an attorney immediately.
We will continue to provide updates as the Congressional investigations proceed and other news and information comes to light.
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury, illness or death after the use of Avandia, call VanDerGinst Law at 1-866-843-7367 or click here for a FREE online case evaluation. The initial consultation is free of charge. If we agree to handle your injury case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if, and when, there is a money recovery for you. In many cases a lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of limitations. So please call right away to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation.
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