Avandia Stroke Attorney

The Prescription medication drug Avandia, used to tree Type 2 Diabetes, has been linked to an increased rate of stroke and other serious medical complications. If you or a loved one have suffered serious injuries due to the taking of Avandia you may be entitled to full and just compensation. The information below is written to inform individuals who have suffered a stroke of other serious medical complications caused by the taking of Avandia. If you have any further questions regarding your legal rights contact our Law Firm (855) 339-8879

Signs and Symptoms of Stroke:

There can be numerous symptoms associated with a stroke. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms seek immediate medical attention.

• General weakness paralysis and numbness of the face arms and legs
• Inability to speak properly
• Confusion
• Headache and sudden feeling of dizziness

Avandia and and increase Risk of Stroke: Side Effects of Diabetes Medication

A Stroke or cerebrovascular accident(CVA)  involves the interruption of the blood supply to the brain. When this happens, parts of the brain can stop functioning. CVAs are the third leading cause of death in the United States, claiming the lives of 150,000 people every year. Five hundred thousand more individuals survive CVAs but suffer temporary or permanent impairment. Diabetes patients already face a higher risk of cardiovascular than the general population, and they are four times more likely to suffer CVAs. Diabetes causes arteries to harden, so that the heart must beat harder in order to circulate blood adequately. This leads to hypertension, which is the leading cause of strokes.

A 2010 study published in the “Archives of Internal Medicine” found that rosiglitazone increased the risk of dying from a CVA or heart attack by as much as 64 percent. Similar research published in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” concurred with these findings. The European Medicines Agency, the European Union’s counterpart to the FDA, has recommended that rosiglitazone be withdrawn from the European market. In the United States, however, the drug continues to be prescribed although certain restrictions have been placed on its use. The federal government only allows certified physicians to prescribe rosiglitazone, and it can only be dispensed through the mail from specified pharmacies. In 2006, GlaxoSmithKline earned $2.6 billion from the domestic sales of rosiglitazone.

The controversy over its adverse cardiovascular effects have caused the drug’s sales to decline, but in 2009 worldwide sales still added $1.8 billion to GlaxoSmithKline’s coffers. Visit here for more infomation on an Increased rate of Stoke caused by Avandia Rosiglitazone

What Is Avandia (Rosiglitazone)?

Avandias pharmacological mechanism represented a new approach in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Rosiglitazone is not an insulin replacement, nor does it stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin. Instead, rosiglitazone works at the cellular level, making receptors on cell nuclei more sensitive to insulin. Rosiglitazone was not only a treatment for type 2 diabetes, it was also a treatment for a condition called insulin resistance that physicians were coming to recognize as a precursor to type 2 diabetes. The process through which the FDA approves new medications is long and arduous. Clinical studies are involved in every investigational new drug application.

Avandia Adverse Effects and Serious Medical Complications Lawsuits:

In July 2012, GlaxoSmithKline pled guilty to charges brought by the U.S. Department that accused the giant drug company of deliberately failing to report the rosiglitazone drug safety information that arose from clinical trials to the FDA in a timely fashion. For this and several other illegal acts, GlaxoSmithKline was fined three billion dollars, the largest fine ever assessed in the pharmacological industry. The information GlaxoSmithKline had suppressed in its initial application to market rosiglitazone had to do with the drug’s adverse effects on the cardiovascular system. Rosiglitazone greatly increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, also called cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) even among patients who have no previous history of cardiovascular incidents.

Between 1999 when Avandia was first brought to market and 2007 when the Senate Finance Committee issued a report accusing GlaxoSmithKline of a massive cover-up, the FDA found that over 83,000 patients taking Avandia suffered cardiovascular incidents including heart attacks and CVAs. In 2010, GlaxoSmithKline paid out over $520 million to settle 10,700 Avandia lawsuits. The company still faces 13,000 rosiglitazone-related lawsuits. Financial analysts predict the company may pay out as much as six billion dollars before all lawsuits are settled.

Compensation for Your Injuries: Filing an Avandia Lawsuits?

If you have suffered serious medical complications from taking a defective and dangerous Diabetes pharmaceutical drug you are entitled to full and just compensation for all your losses. A drug injury claim will allow you to recover for
(1) All medical expenses resulting from the adverse effects of the medication
(2) All future medical costs and rehabilitation costs
(3) Lost waged and future loss of income resulting from the inability to work
(4) Pain and suffering
(5) Punitive damages (where possible).

If you have suffered a stroke while on Avandia and would like to learn more about your legal rights feel free to contact our Law Firm (855) 339-8879 Downtown LA Law Group is a Nationwide California based Personal Injury Law Firm dedicated to protecting the rights of individuals who have suffered harm due to that taking of defective and dangerous prescription drug medication. More information:  Signs and Symptoms of Stroke