A new study comparing the heart risks of Avandia and Actos reached a familiar conclusion: Avandia poses a higher risk of heart attack, congestive heart failure (CHF) and death compared to its rival diabetes drug. The new research, published in the British Medical Journal on March 17, 2011, confirms the findings of prior Avandia heart risk studies.
Researchers reviewed data from previously published observational studies that compared the “cardiovascular outcomes” of about 810,000 type 2 diabetes patients who used Avandia or Actos. Among the diabetics, Avandia use of was linked to significantly higher odds of heart attack (myocardial infarction), and death compared to use of Actos. The research suggests that for every 100,000 patients who take Avandia rather than Actos, there could be 170 more heart attacks, 649 more cases of congestive heart failure, and 431 more deaths.
First approved in 1998, Avandia once was touted as a “miracle drug” to treat type 2 diabetes. In 2007, a study was published in the new England Journal of Medicine linking Avandia use to increased heart risks and cardiovascular death. In response, a “black box” warning was added to Avandia and increasing calls for an Avandia recall in the U.S. were resisted by the drug’s manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline. On September 23, 2010, the FDA fell short of an Avandia recall, but severely restricted use of the diabetes drug.
Avandia lawsuits continue to filed in 2011 to recover financial compensation for heart problems suffered after taking the controversial diabetes drug. GSK has agreed to pay hundreds of millions of dollar to settle Avandia lawsuits.
The attorneys at AvandiaRecallNews.com no longer are accepting new Avandia cases.