Avandia, also known as rosiglitazone, is a drug manufactured and marketed by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The drug is used to treat diabetes and is a member of a class of drugs known as thiazolidinediones. These drugs reduce insulin resistance in muscle and fat as well as reduce glucose produced by the liver. Other drugs in this class include Pioglitazone, also known as Actos (marketed and manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceuticals) and Troglitazone (manufactured in the USA by Parke-Davis).
Avandia side effects
In 2007, a meta-analysis was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. A meta-analysis combines data from a number of related studies in an attempt to discover trends that would not otherwise be detectable in individual studies.
The authors of the meta-analysis reported that patients taking Avandia were at a 43% increased risk of myocardial infarction and 64% increased risk of death from cardiovascular causes.
The authors concluded that both patients and health care providers should take into account the increased risk of adverse events associated with the drug. One of the authors, Steven Nissen, was financially supported by a consortium of GSK’s competitors (including AstraZeneca, Parke-Davis, Pfizer, Daichi Sanyo [maker of Troglitazone in Japan] and others).
Following an FDA investigation of the drug, it was concluded that it did not cause a significant increase in heart attacks and the drug was allowed to remain on the market.
Avandia lawsuits
GSK faced 5,500 claims alleging that the company concealed the heart attack risk from the consumers and health professionals. The company agreed to settle the lawsuits on the eve of the first trial and paid claims averaging $46,000 each. An analyst at UBS AG in London commented that Glaxo would have been forced to pay as much as $1 million per case if Avandia had been definitely proven to cause heart attacks.
Read more about Avandia legal claims
References
Nissen SE and Wolski K, “Effect of Rosiglitazone on the Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Death from Cardiovascular Causes.” New England Journal of Medicine 356:24 (2007).
“GlaxoSmithKline settles Avandia lawsuit on eve of trial,” The Telegraph, January 31, 2011 – URL: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/pharmaceuticalsandchemicals/8293684/GlaxoSmithKline-settles-Avandia-lawsuit-on-eve-of-trial.html
“Glaxo Said to Pay More Than $250 Million to Settle Avandia Death Lawsuits,” Jef Feeley, Bloomberg, February 7, 2011 – URL: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-07/glaxo-said-to-pay-more-than-250-million-to-settle-avandia-death-lawsuits.html