Thursday, January 31, 2008

Diabetes Drug Avandia Associated with Increased Risk of Osteoporosis

Diabetes Drug Avandia Associated with Increased Risk of Osteoporosis
The type 2 diabetes drug Avandia, from GlaxoSmithKline
(GSK), is making headlines again as scientists find that
long-term use of the drug may increase the risk of
osteoporosis among patients. Avandia, also referred to as
rosiglitazone, was approved in June 1999, since that time
the drug has been taken by millions of Americans. The
study was conducted by the Salk Institute for Biological
Studies and first appeared in the scientific health
journal, Nature Medicine in the Dec. 2 online issue.
Researchers found that the drug may contribute to bone loss
over time and that the drug may speed up the process of
osteoporosis, thinning of bones and may result in bone
fractures in the body that can be fatal to type 2 diabetes
patients who already experience hardships from the symptoms
associated with this illness.

Dangerous Avandia Side-Effects

Avandia is an oral anti-diabetic medication that has been
associated with congestive heart failure, according to
warnings released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA).

In early 2007, GlaxoSmithKline reported the results of a
26-week, double blind, fixed-dose study that resulted in
approximately 40 percent of patients taking Avandia to have
reduced their insulin dose, compared to those receiving
placebo pills. However, in November 2007, the FDA placed
yet another warning label on the drug, this time consisting
of a "black box" warning. The warning is also known as
"black label" warning and it is the highest and most severe
warning a drug can have while still being available on the
market. While the warning on the box was related to the
severity of potential heart failure, only continued
research will determine how great the risk of osteoporosis
is among users who also risk heart failure while on the
drug. But for those who are currently or have in the past
taken the drug, contacting an attorney who can offer advice
on how to receive probable compensation for the potentially
irreversible damage is a wise decision.

Overcoming the Avandia Osteoporosis Risk

For users of Avandia as well as other type 2 diabetes drugs
recently released on the market, it is advisable to speak
with an experienced diabetes law firm who can offer advice
on building a potential case and receiving compensation for
having taken Avandia or other type 2 diabetes drugs, which
may also cause the increased risk of osteoporosis. Treating
diabetes can be a difficult challenge in and of itself, and
when additional factors or side effects come to light about
a specific drug the situation can become an even more
frightening dilemma. But the best way to overcome potential
harm is to not only contact a doctor to better understand
steps to protect yourself, but to contact a law firm and
become aware of the latest news and findings.


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To learn more about Avandia litigation or to consult an
attorney on the potential for an out of court Avandia
settlement, visit http://avandia.legalview.com/ . Also use
LegalView's additional practice areas, which can initially
be found at http://www.LegalView.com , to learn more about
other issues affecting Americans including topics ranging
from mesothelioma to automobile accidents.

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