Diabetes drug blamed for heart attack; Case could go to MDL

A St. James Parish man blames a diabetes drug for his heart problems.

Stanley B. Vedol says he had been taking the drug Avandia for about nine months when he suffered congestive heart failure and a heart attack. Vedol has filed a lawsuit against the drug's manufacturers arguing the drug caused his medical problems. Vedol filed suit against Smithkline Beecham Corp. doing business as GlaxoSmithKline and his physician Dr. Anuprasad Velanki May 20, 2008.

With the treating physician dismissed from the case in August 2009, the manufacturer of Avandia is attempting to have the case removed from St. James Parish District Court to federal court in New Orleans. If the removal is granted, the case will join the multidistrict litigation pending in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (MDL – 1871, In re Avandia Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation).

"The Avandia ingested by Stanley B. Vedol was defective in that it exposed plaintiff to the risk of suffering congestive heart failure and a heart attack and that it could ultimately lead to plaintiff's death," the complaint states.

Vedol claims the defendant suppressed, misrepresented and concealed the drug's potential dangers in order to maximize profits.

Causes of action filed against the defendant include strict liability, defective manufacture, design and failure to warn, negligence, breach of implied and express warranty, fraudulent concealment and suppression, and wanton and willful conduct.

Vedol is seeking damages for physical pain and suffering, emotional pain and suffering, lost wages, physical scarring and disfigurement, attorney fees and costs. Vedol's wife, Charlene Vedol, is seeking damages for loss of consortium, love and affection, loss of society and companionship, and loss of spousal support and services.

New Orleans attorney John D. Sileo is representing the plaintiffs.

A jury trial is requested.

U.S. District Judge Martin L.C. Feldman is assigned to the case.

Case No. 2:10cv01520