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The widow and son of a Beaumont man are suing the maker of the popular diabetes drug Avandia, alleging it contributed to the man's death from a heart attack.
Larry Alan Stanford, 60, died May 21, the same day a scientific analysis was published in the New England Journal of Medicine saying that Avandia was linked to a greater risk of heart attack and possibly death.
His widow, Peggie Stanford, and son, Ryan Stanford, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against GlaxoSmithKline PLC.
Stanford had taken Avandamet, a form of Avandia mixed with another diabetes drug, since early 2005.
"I believe the evidence will show the company knew there were problems with Avandia, but decided to keep on selling it to Larry and others," attorney Stephen Drinnon, who represents the Stanfords, said in a news release Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for GlaxoSmithKline said the company will "vigorously defend our medicine."
"We stand firmly behind the safety of our product ...," spokeswoman Alice Hunt said in a statement. She said an examination of the company's record will show that it "thoroughly studied the safety and effectiveness of Avandia."
Following the analysis in the New England Journal of Medicine that concluded that Avandia could raise patients' risk of heart attack by more than 40 percent, a congressional hearing was held this month. The Food and Drug Administration commissioner said at the hearing that the FDA will require tougher warnings about heart failure on Avandia.
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