On the same day the New England Journal of Medicine said the popular diabetes drug rosiglitazone, an ingredient in the diabetes drug Avandia, was linked to a greater risk of heart attack, a 60-year-old patient and user of the drug died of a heart attack. Now his wife and son are suing GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the drug’s maker, saying it contributed to the man’s death.

Larry Alan Stanford had taken Avandamet, a form of Avandia mixed with another diabetes drug, since early 2005. Now GSK is faced with what could be the first of many Avandia lawsuits or Avandamet lawsuits.

“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,” personal injury attorney Stephen Drinnon, who represents the Stanford family, said in a release dated June 20, 2007.

The New England Journal of Medicine said Avandia could raise a patient’s risk of heart attack by 40 percent. The drug linking Avandia and Avandamet is rosiglitazone, a drug the lawsuit against GSK says is deadly.

“Glaxo knew or should have known that its rosiglitazone drug greatly increased plaintiffs’ risks of having a heart attack and /or other negative cardiovascular consequences or of causing sudden cardiac death,” the lawsuit says.

Sources: “Avandia maker sued over heart attack,” Associated Press, June 20, 2007; “Glaxo failed to warn of diabetes drug risks: lawsuit,” Reuters, June 20, 2007.