Avandia Causing Havoc For Patients

Centerview, MOAs more lawsuits are filed against the maker of Avandia alleging the drug caused irreparable harm to patients, more patients are wondering if they too have suffered a heart attack or other reported Avandia side effects. Meanwhile, public interest groups including Public Citizen are encouraging patients to avoid the drug and return to older medications that do not have as many complications.

Edna R. was on Avandia for a few years before her doctor took her off the drug. "I took it for about 4 years," Edna says. "While I was on it, I had a heart attack. They [doctors] took me off it right away after the heart attack because Avandia caused me to retain too much fluid. They didn't give me a reason for the heart attack, they just took me off the Avandia and put me on Metformin."

Edna says she still suffers from some of the symptoms she had when she was on Avandia. She also still feels the effects of the heart attack.

"The heart attack wasn't too serious," Edna says. "I was in the hospital for about a week. I have recovered from the heart attack, but I get tired more quickly than I used to. I can't do everyday chores without stopping and taking frequent rests. I still have some chest pains but not too often. I used to have swelling in my feet and hands and my feet still swell all the time."

Edna thinks there is a possibility that Avandia may have caused her heart attack, even though the doctors have not confirmed this.

Some patients are taking matters into their own hands, filing lawsuits against Glaxosmithkline alleging Avandia caused serious complications. Those complications include an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and heart failure. The lawsuits further allege that Avandia's warning labels were not adequate and were not changed to reflect the risk of cardiovascular problems in a timely manner.

One patient claims she suffered a myocardial infarction because of her exposure to Avandia, requiring a stent in her artery. A different patient claims he suffered a myocardial infarction requiring angioplasty. Their lawsuits seek damages in excess of $350,000.

Meanwhile, other patients say they have also undergone painful procedures, including triple bypass surgeries, that they believe were a result of their having taken Avandia.

Because patients take Avandia for treatment of diabetes, they may not realize that they might experience other side effects including some heart problems. They may think that their heart problems are simply a natural complication of diabetes—and in some cases that is true. However, Avandia has been linked to an increased risk of heart problems, putting patients taking the drug at risk of serious complications.

In addition to problems with their heart, some patients have discovered liver problems, even though they have no family history of liver problems and no history of drinking. They say they are stunned that they could have liver problems at all, when they had no risk factors.

The risk of liver failure caused Public Citizen to file a request on October 30, 2008, that Avandia be taken off the market, after the group discovered that of 14 cases of liver failure reported to the FDA and associated with Avandia, 12 people died. Public Citizen said that the risks associated with Avandia far outweigh the benefits.

According to a press release from Public Citizen, "Liver toxicity is only the most recently noted danger of Avandia; Public Citizen has encouraged diabetes sufferers to avoid taking the drug because it increases the risk of heart attack approximately 40 percent, doubles the risk of heart failure and bone fractures, and increases the risk of anemia and vision loss from macular edema, a swelling of the retina caused by fluids accumulating in the eye."