Popular diabetes medication increases risk of heart attack

By Mitchell L. Ginsburg

San Antonio, Texas – The New England Journal of Medicine has reported that the popular diabetes medication Avandia can increase a patient’s risk of heart attack by over 43%. In the scathing article by Steven Nissen, M.D. and Kathy Wolski, M.P.H., the doctors note that their study was limited because they were not granted access to the original source data from the 42 studies used to reach their conclusion.

Avandia, also known as Rosiglitazone, has been widely used to treat type 2-diabetes.  Reports estimate that as many as 6 million Americans have taken Avandia since it was approved for sale by the FDA eight years ago.   Avandia was developed to help the body use the insulin it produces more efficiently.

The New England Journal of Medicine concluded that treatment with Avandia “was associated with a significant increase in the risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack) and with an increase in the risk of death from cardiovascular causes[.]” To make matters worse, consumer advocacy group Public Citizen reported on its website that U.S. health authorities were aware of the heart attack risk associated with Avandia as long ago as 2002 but did nothing.

GlaxoSmithKilne, the manufacturer of Avandia, wasted no time in shooting back at the New England Journal of Medicine.  GlaxoSmithKline responded by stating that any accusation that the company “has placed patients at risk and attempted to silence independent investigation of data is absolutely false.”

Jim Adler, the famed Texas attorney who has represented thousands people injured by defective drugs, wasn’t surprised to find out that another drug increases the risk of heart attacks.  “Too many new drugs have adverse reactions that are worse then the diseases they are meant to treat.  Isn’t having diabetes tough enough without you having to worry about dropping dead from a heart attack because you take Avandia?”

Contact Jim S. Adler & Associates for a free case review.

The FDA has yet to comment on the New England Journal of Medicine’s study.  Avandia is currently still on the market.

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