PPH Attorney

Glitazones or Thiazolidinediones?

Glitazone is the shorthand name for a group of drugs that have “glitazone” in their name. It is a drug group that is an oral hypoglycemic which is a drug taken by mouth to treat an abnormally low level of blood sugar. Glitazone is an alternate name for thiazolidinedione.

Thiazolidinediones, as a drug group, were introduced in the late 1990s as a sort of aid to other treatment plans for Type 2 Diabetes (diabetes mellitus) as well as related diseases. The members of this group of drugs include Rosiglitazone (Avandia), Pioglitazone (Actos), and Troglitazone (Rezulin). Since its introduction to the market, Rezulin has since been withdrawn due to a high-incidence of drug-induced hepatitis. Avandia has recently taken a lot of heat due to a study that showed a 43% increase in the risk of heart attacks for people taking Avandia over those that were using a placebo. Actos is considered to be Avandia’s number one competitor and has since seen its market share increase dramatically.

The withdrawal of Rezulin (troglitazone) from the market has lead to concerns that other types of thiazolidinediones will also result in drug-induced hepatitis. The main side effect of all thiazolidinediones is fluid retention. This fluid retention leads to edema, weight gain, and potentially aggravates heart failure. For this reason, thiazolidinediones should not be prescribed for people that already have decreased heart function.

Recent studies, as mentioned above, have shown an increased risk of coronary heart disease when using Avandia (Rosiglitazone). In addition to being linked to coronary heart disease, rosiglitazone has also been linked to primary pulmonary hypertension. A study has shown though that using Pioglitazone (Actos) does not involve the same risk, or at least it didn’t show up in that study.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with primary pulmonary hypertension, there may be legal options available to you concerning this extremely rare disease. Contact the PPH Lawyers of Williams Kherkher at 1-800-220-9341 to discuss your legal options and to schedule a free initial consultation.