California County Sues Avandia Maker for False Advertising
Last Friday, Santa Clara County filed a false-advertising lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline claiming it hid the heart attack risks associated with the diabetes drug Avandia, the Mercury News reports.
The suit is believed to be the first one filed by a government entity involving the controversial diabetes drug. Avandia has been linked to an estimated 60,000 – 200,000 heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths nationwide from 1999-2006.
Because Santa Clara runs its own hospital and treats indigent patients, a county lawyer asserts that its local costs associated with the drug’s side effects are higher than in many other areas.
The suit was filed in a San Jose federal court. It alleges the county spent $2 million on Avandia on behalf of indigent patients from 1999 to 2007 and that it covered the costs of treating heart patients whose conditions could have been avoided if they had not taken the drug.
This past September, the county removed Avandia from its list of recommended drugs.
Last month, a Senate committee has issued a report concluding that GlaxoSmithKline knew of the Avandia-heart attack link but hid it from the public.
If you or a loved on suffered a heart attack after taking Avandia, contact the attorneys of Carey, Danis & Lowe. We can help. Carey, Danis & Lowe is a national law firm that represents individuals injured by America’s largest corporations.
