July 4th, 2009
A November 20, 2008, Philadelphia Inquirer article discusses how a Maryland doctor said she felt "threatened and disappointed" after GlaxoSmithKline P.L.C. urged her to stop discussing her concerns that the company's diabetes drug, Avandia, caused heart problems.
The doctor’s claim marks the second time that GlaxoSmithKline has been accused of trying ...
July 4th, 2009
On November 24, 2008, researchers in the United States stated that older diabetics taking GlaxoSmithKline's Avandia to control their blood sugar had a higher risk of death and heart failure while on the drug than those who took Takeda Pharmaceutical's Actos, a drug in the same class. Researchers said the ...
July 4th, 2009
On December 4, 2008, a top level FDA official said GlaxoSmithKline PLC's diabetes drug Avandia should remain available to patients despite some medical associations' calls for doctors not to use it.
Janet Woodcock, head of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in an interview that people have "convicted" ...
July 4th, 2009
Based upon information from a new study released on December 10, 2008, long-term use of GlaxoSmithKline's Avandia and Takeda's Actos doubles the risk of bone fractures in women with type 2 diabetes.
Scientists previously knew the two thiazolidinedione (TZD) drugs for diabetes were associated with fractures, but the magnitude of the ...
July 4th, 2009
On December 17, 2008, the FDA announced that new drugs to treat an epidemic of diabetes will have to be screened more closely for heart risks. The FDA’s policy change should offer a greater assurance of safety to doctors and patients. But it will make it more costly and time-consuming ...
July 4th, 2009
On April 30, 2009, ten residents of Utah and two people from Oregon filed federal lawsuits against GlaxoSmithKline PLC claiming that the company was negligent in researching the drug Avandia, which caused them (or a spouse) to have heart attacks and subsequent health problems.
The lawsuits state the firm deceived doctors ...
July 4th, 2009
Diabetes drugs called glitazones, which include Avandia, and Actos have been associated with an increased risk of a vision-threatening complication called diabetic macular edema (DME), which features swelling and fluid accumulation in the retina.
The U.S. study of 996 diabetic macular edema (DME) patients found that those who took glitazones were ...
July 4th, 2009
A recently released clinical study intended to test whether GlaxoSmithKline PLC's diabetes drug Avandia may be harmful to the heart appears to have raised more questions than it has answered, as some doctors claim that the study is flawed.
Safety concerns have troubled Avandia since 2007, when an analysis of the ...
July 4th, 2009
As the U.S. chemical industry steps up its fierce lobbying effort, the California Senate approved a proposal on June 2, 2009, that would ban the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles, toddler sippy cups and food containers that independent scientists say is a threat to childhood development.
The bill ...
July 4th, 2009
The FDA recently announced that the agency is primed to finalize long-awaited sunscreen label changes designed to give consumers a better idea of the sun protection they’re getting.
Companies that make sunscreens will now be required to provide information on the amount of ultraviolet A (UVA) screening provided by their products. ...
