Actos and Heart Disease

A new study published by the American Heart Association in their journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes has shown that the well-known heart disease risks associated with GlaxoSmithKline's diabetes drug Avandia are also present in patients taking Actos, a similar drug made by Takeda Pharmaceuticals. The two drugs are both part of the same class of drugs, called thiazolidinediones or TZDs, which are used to treat diabetes in adults by boosting insulin sensitivity.

Results of Actos/Avandia Heart Disease Study
This study was done by WellPoint, Inc., a health insurance company, through their research subsidiary HealthCore, Inc. Researchers looked at 36,000 WellPoint policyholders who had submitted claims for either Actos or Avandia between 2001 and 2005, adjusting for factors such as age, gender, and prior health problems.
Researchers found that patients taking either Actos or Avandia were about 4% more likely to suffer a heart attack, congestive heart failure, or die. Equal numbers of patients taking each drug died, the study found.
While the FDA has not chosen to recommend either drug for pharmaceutical drug recall, claiming that the benefits to diabetes patients outweigh the risks, FDA regulators have required that the risks be listed in prescription information.

Actos Pharmaceutical Injury Lawsuits
The heart disease risks associated with Avandia, like other defective drug side effects, have led to Avandia pharmaceutical injury lawsuits. In these cases, patients who have developed heart disease or heart attacks after taking Avandia can sue for damages under current product liability law or potentially under medical malpractice law. If your family member has died as a result of a defective drug like Actos or Avandia, you may be able to bring a wrongful death lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company.
Courts and pharmaceutical injury lawyers may have already seen Actos pharmaceutical injury lawsuits related to an increased risk of bone fracture or congestive heart failure in patients with heart disease or kidney problems. However, this new study shows that Actos increases the risk of heart problems overall, which will likely lead to more Actos product liability lawsuits and even Actos wrongful death lawsuits.
If you have been injured or have lost a loved one as a result of taking Actos, Avandia, or other TZD diabetes drug, you may be eligible for compensation. Contact a qualified pharmaceutical injury attorney for a consultation on the merits of your case.