Giant Pharmaceutical Company Involved in Product Liability Lawsuits After FDA Pulls Avandia Off Retail Shelves

Sadly it has taken years of consumer complaints for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to pull Avandia from retail sales. The drug Avandia was used to treat Type 2 diabetes, but growing concerns from consumers taking this drug indicated that their conditions became worse rather than better.

Although the FDA has reacted to the problem now, why didn't they listen to the complaints before?

These complaints did not start last year. In fact, the New England Journal of Medicine stated in 2007 that Avandia was connected to increased heart attack risks. In 2008, Public Citizen, a consumer group, petitioned the FDA to ban Avandia. They explained the drug risks and the possible threat of liver failure and other life-threatening risks associated with this drug.

The drug peaked in 2006, with 13.2 million people taking Avandia, and in 2010 the number of people taking this drug dropped to 4.6 million, which means that many people were paying attention to the possible health concerns, such as heart attack and stroke, being attributed to this drug. However, there are still approximately 10,000 Avandia prescriptions being filled per day around this nation.

The FDA has now restricted the sale of Avandia after receiving petitions and complaints that this drug may have caused shortness of breath, chest pains, muscular weakness, itching, fatigue, bone pain, and even a yellow skin color to occur. Starting November 18, 2011, Avandia will no longer be sold in retail pharmacies in the U.S. However, it will still be made available through mail order to people who have been using it without experiencing these harmful side effects. Although these patients are required to be informed about the risks, they are still allowed to take this controversial drug.

Be aware that Avandia is also known as Rosiglitazone, which has been sold under the names of Avandaryl and Avandamet by the drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

Recently GSK has been battling product liability lawsuits in Iowa and throughout the nation in which consumers claim that the pharmaceutical company knew the drug has been linked to cardiovascular disease and other issues, but failed to warn consumers of the potential health risks.

Last month, the company agreed to settle 700 product liability suits and pay out around $60 million in damages. There are also other cases pending against GSK.

If you suffered a stroke, heart attack or any other symptoms mentioned while you were taking Avandia, Avandamet or Avandaryl, please call an Iowa product liability lawyer at the Law Offices of Brady & O'Shea at (319) 866-9277 today and hold negligent companies liable for defective products.