A new study by the Canada's
Ontario Ministry of Health & Long Term Care published in the
British Medical Journal shows that senior patients taking GlaxoSmithKline's diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitazone) were at a greater risk of heart failure or death than those taking Takeda Pharmaceutical's Actos (pioglitazone) – although both Type 2 diabetes drugs are the subject of hundreds of product liability lawsuits – some of which allege diabetic macular edema, liver toxicity, bone fractures and cardiovascular risks.
Details of the study
Researchers analyzed the prescription drug data for nearly 40,000 patients 66 years of age and older who began taking either of the drugs from April 2002 to March 2008. They found that 6.9% of Avandia patients died or were hospitalized for a heart attack or heart failure compared to 5.3% of Actos patients during that time. However, critics of the study say that the data may be flawed because it did not analyze patients' differing dosages.
This is just the latest of numerous studies conducted on these drugs. Previous studies have linked either Actos or Avandia to a possible increase in bone fractures, heart attacks, diabetic macular edema, or DME, liver toxicity and cardiovascular risks.
Black box warnings
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has added black box warnings (the most serious warnings given by the FDA) to both Avandia and Actos. In June of 2007, the FDA required these warnings to alert consumers about the cardiovascular risks of taking both drugs. In November of 2007, the FDA added another black box warning to Avandia to alert consumers about risks of heart attacks after a study was published in The New England Journal of Medicine which found that patients had a 43% increased risk of having a heart attack when taking the drug.
Product liability lawsuits continue
Product liability lawsuits against both manufacturers continue alleging that the companies failed to warn consumers about the risks of taking these drugs. If you've been injured due to Avandia or Actos use, contact an experienced product liability attorney to discuss your situation and evaluate your options. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.
