Man Sues GlaxoSmithKline over Avandia |
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| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Feb 19 2008 at 3:29 PM |
| Avandia >> |
NEW YORK – Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline is being sued by a an Oklahoma man who claims that he suffered from some heart problems after using the company’s well known diabetes pill Avandia. Grove resident Pat Kelly, 59, says that the drug gave him severe heart issues that required a bypass surgery. The lawsuit accuses that the drugmaker should have known that Avandia is associated with an increased risk of heart diseases like stroke and heart attack, in addition to many other side effects. The suit was Tuesday filed in U.S. District Court in Pennsylvania. GlaxoSmithKline is making and manufacturing the drug since 1999. FDA approved Avandia on May 25, 1999. It helps improve blood sugar regulation in type 2 diabetes patients. It is said that the drug can increase the body's sensitivity to insulin. Doctors were writing about 13 million prescriptions for the drug by the year 2006, resulting in more than $2.2 billion in sales. But sales of Avandia have dropped in the United States since a report last May by the New England Journal of Medicine connected the drug to an increased risk of heart attacks. Avandia lawsuits have resulted because of serious side effects after using the drug, including congestive heart failure, liver failure and hepatitis. Mr. Kelly said that he took the drug as it has been labeled as a lifestyle drug where people wouldn’t have to take insulin. “The drug didn’t do anything good for me. On the contrary, it led to painful heart problem and eventually to a bypass surgery in 2007. Now I don’t have the stamina to go ahead with my daily job. The surgery sapped all my energy and my jobs dried up,” Kelly said. Attorneys say that lawsuits against GlaxoSmithKline over the drug’s alleged side effects are beginning to make their way through the courts. According to a report, over six million Americans have already used the drug and are concerned about its side effects. It is believed that thousands of lawsuits connected to Avandia are yet to be filed.
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