Who Can Sue
If you have taken
Avandia and suffered a serious Avandia-related side effect, or if a close family member has died as a result of an Avandia-related side effect, you may be able to file an Avandia lawsuit with the help of a
pharmaceutical attorney.
If you are still taking Avandia, you should first consult your doctor about the right treatment for you. If you are aware of a serious complication related to Avandia usage, the FDA encourages you to file a report on MedWatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Examples of Negligence
Heart attacks and other devastating injuries could have been prevented if consumers had been warned about Avandia. One of the primary issues in Avandia litigation will be whether GlaxoSmithKline responsibly reported all the dangers of Avandia to the FDA and to the public.
A state lawsuit filed in Illinois in 2009 represented 186 plaintiffs who said GlaxoSmithKline failed to warn them of the Avandia risks when it was prescribed to them.
Potential Recovery
All federal Avandia cases have been centralized and an Avandia Multi-District Litigation (MDL) has been established in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania where GlaxoSmithKline has its U.S. headquarters. U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe has been assigned to oversee all Avandia litigation.
This MDL process is designed to avoid duplicate discovery and inconsistent rulings in cases spread throughout the federal court system. If the cases do not settle or resolve during pretrial litigation, they will be remanded back to the original court where they were filed for trial.
In late 2008, Judge Rufe issued a pretrial order calling for the first Avandia trial dates to be scheduled in the summer of 2010.
If you are have taken Avandia and are experiencing serious side effects which you feel are cause for concern, you should first speak with your physician about whether the drug’s benefits outweigh its risks before you discontinue use or switch to an alternate treatment.
Next, you should consult an experienced pharmaceutical drug attorney.