Washington – The controversy surrounding GlaxoSmithKline’s diabetes drug Avandia grew Wednesday as a medical expert told Congress that executives threatened to sue when he first raised questions in 1999 about the treatment’s safety.
That testimony, coupled with a recent medical journal’s analysis highlighting the heart attack risks associated with Avandia, prompted some Democratic lawmakers to rebuke the Food and Drug Administration for failing to protect consumers.
“Despite additional warnings from outside experts, despite the millions of patients who rely on Avandia to control their blood sugar and despite the potential risks involved, FDA never required the manufacturer to conduct a thorough post-market study of its heart risks,” Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said.
Waxman, who chairs the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, convened Wednesday’s hearing after an analysis last month in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that Avandia could raise patients’ risk of heart attack by more than 40 percent.
Glaxo argues that Avandia is safe.
Dr. John Buse, the incoming president of the American Diabetes Association, told lawmakers that after he drew attention in 1999 to heart problems among some patients using Avandia, SmithKline Beecham, which later combined with Glaxo Wellcome, warned him that some executives wanted to hold him accountable for a $4 billion drop in the company’s stock.
