Avandia (generic rosiglitazone) is an oral medication used to treat Type 2 diabetes. The drug is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1999. The diabetes drug has been used by over 8 million people worldwide, and could be responsible for thousands of heart attacks and deaths in the past 11 years.In the US alone, there are over 20 million people with Type 2 diabetes and it is the sixth leading cause of death nationwide. People with Type 2 diabetes either produce too much blood sugar, do not produce enough insulin or their blood cells ignore insulin (insulin resistance). Avandia is an insulin sensitizer, which makes the cells more responsive to insulin, and aids in the management of blood sugar to ease diabetes side effects.

Back in 2007, an article in the New England Journal of Medicine identified potential side effects which could include increase the risk of heart attacks, heart disease, and death. Additional research indicated that Avandia side effects could furthermore increase the risk of liver failure, bone fractures and vision loss known as macular edema.

Avandia problems were identified when independent researchers from the Cleveland Clinic reviewed data from clinical trials involving nearly 28,000 patients. The researchers concluded that Avandia side effects could increase the risk of a heart attack by 58% and the risk of cardiovascular death by as much as 64%.

An FDA panel began hearings on Avandia today. The safety of this drug has been questioned since 2007 and could be pulled from the market. One can only hope that the intense research done by Dr. Steven Nissen could convince the FDA to finally pull the drug off the market.

The lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk are reviewing potential lawsuits for individuals who suffered an Avandia heart attack, liver failure, bone fracture, vision loss or death. Request a free claim evaluation to determine if compensation may be available. There are no fees or expenses unless a recovery is obtained.

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