According to several statistical estimates, nearly 20 million people in the United States suffer from type 2 diabetes. This condition has exploded in prevalence in recent years, and people who are diagnosed with this condition need to take steps to bring their situations under control so that they can avoid the risks of heart attacks, strokes and early death.
Fortunately, the world of medical science has been formulating and releasing different types of medication in recent years that is designed to provide the help people with type 2 diabetes need. One of the leading medications in this regard was Avandia, which was manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. Unfortunately, reports of Avandia side effects began to surface, and many people who suffered from them have encountered the need for help from Avandia side effects lawyers. Below is a brief overview of this troubling issue.
Avandia – A Brief Introduction
Avandia is a prescription medication that is taken in pill form. It was originally approved for use in the United States by the FDA in 1999, and since then Avandia has been prescribed to patients more than 60 million times. As a result, Avandia has had years where it alone has generated more than $2 billion in revenue for GlaxoSmithKline.
Avandia works by being used in conjunction with an overall program that includes a healthy diet and a regiment of exercise in hopes that all three of these elements will help a patient’s body begin to use its insulin more efficiently. The imbalance associated with insulin is what leads to a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
Alleged Avandia Side Effects
In recent years, many different reports of Avandia side effects have been released, and these Avandia side effects represented an extremely cruel irony for those who encountered them. Specifically, Avandia was prescribed to help patients avoid the risks associated with type 2 diabetes that include heart attacks and strokes. However, the most commonly reported serious Avandia side effects in recent years have been heart-related problems, including heart attacks and other malfunctions that can lead to strokes.
Reaction to Avandia Side Effects Reports
In response to the increasing number of reports of Avandia side effects, several different entities and individuals began to take action. The FDA brought Avandia under scrutiny in recent years, and as of November 2011 GlaxoSmithKline will no longer offer this medication in the United States, even though the company has stopped short of calling the situation an Avandia recall.
In addition, more than 12,000 Avandia side effects lawsuits have been filed against GlaxoSmithKline over the years that have alleged that the side effects that patients have encountered have led to massive additional health costs, enormous amounts of pain and suffering and untimely deaths.
How Avandia Side Effects Lawyers Can Help
Even though Avandia is no longer available in the United States, that doesn’t mean that there are not still many people out there who could be suffering as a result of trusting it to help them with their type 2 diabetes. If this includes you or someone you love, contact the Avandia side effects attorneys at Parilman & Associates today to schedule a free initial consultation.
