AVANDIA CLAIMS
Following a BBC Panorama programme, Metcalfes have received several enquiries from patients seeking to bring a claim for compensation after they have been prescribed Avandia.
Avandia was prescribed to Type II Diabetes sufferers but has been linked to increased risks of heart attacks and heart failure. It included warnings for people with heart failure at the outset, following approval by the European Medicines Regulator in 2000, and the warnings have since been expanded to include other heart conditions.
The BBC Panorama programme uncovered that the manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, did not disclose the full extent of their clinical trials before the drug obtained approval to be released.
In the USA, GlaxoSmithKline was recently obliged to publish the full extent of all clinical trials and it was uncovered that GSK did not originally publish trial results which showed that patients on Avandia may have been more susceptible to heart attacks.
In 2010, the American regulator voted to remove the drug's licence. The UK's drug regulator advised that Avandia should be withdrawn from the market but did not do so publically. Instead it wrote to health professionals advising them to consider alternative treatments. The European Medicines Agency, which can overrule the UK's decisions, has yet to make a binding decision.
If you have been prescribed Avandia and believe you may have suffered an injury or worsening of a heart condition as a result then Metcalfes are interested to hear from you.
At the present time, no patients in the UK have successfully recovered compensation, however, Metcalfes are gathering information from patients who believe they may have a claim.
If you would like to speak with a qualified lawyer for an initial free of charge discussion, please contact Metcalfes on 0117 9290451.
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