The Avandia lawsuit that was scheduled to be the first to go to trial has been settled. News of the settlement was reported on June 1, just as the trial was to begin in Philadelphia, PA.
Avandia drug company GlaxoSmithKline announced that it has reached settlements in more lawsuits claiming its type 2 diabetes drug caused heart attacks and death. Both the number of Avandia lawsuits settled and the terms of the settlements remain confidential.
In an emailed statement, a company spokesperson said, “[GSK] can confirm that the case that was scheduled for the first trial in state court in Philadelphia, for June 1, 2010, has been settled.” “The next case scheduled for trial is in that court and is scheduled for October 2010. GSK has not settled the multi-district litigation pending in federal court.”
GSK reportedly has made litigation provisions of about $2.9 billion. Avandia sales in the U.S. have dropped sharply since 2007, when a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine linked Avandia to an increased heart attack risk.
Calls for an Avandia recall have been renewed following the release in February of the report of two U.S. Senators highly critical of Avandia and the conduct of GSK. In July, a FDA advisory panel will meet and the fate of the beleaguered drug will be announced.