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Avandia Cases Settled in Mediation

On January 13, 2012, the majority of the lawsuits against the maker of Avandia were settled in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania through mediation.  The lawsuits were brought against the manufacturer, Glaxo Smith Kline, for their failure to warn people about the health risks involved in using the drug.  Avandia, a diabetes drug, has been linked to increased occurrences of heart attacks and strokes.

The exact number of settled Avandia cases is unclear at this time, but lead plaintiff counsel indicated that there are over 20,000 individuals participating in lawsuits nationwide.  The dollar figures of the settlement are confidential.  Glaxo Smith Kline still stands behind the use of the drug when used properly according to label instructions.

In November, the presiding judge, U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe, put the pushed both sides to agree by giving both parties 75 days to resolve at least 85% of the cases.  Judge Rufe promised to put the first 100 cases on the fast track to trial if the deadline wasn’t met. 

Glaxo Smith Kline had previously been hit with a $3 billion settlement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts for the company’s marketing practices  and was the object of other investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice. 
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