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May 12, 2008
GSK Hasn’t Mentioned Heart Attacks Reported in 2005 Letter
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) neglected to mention a 2005 report involving 34 heart attacks among HIV-positive people taking abacavir (found in Ziagen, Epzicom and Trizivir) in its response to the results of a recent study finding a 90 percent increased risk of a heart attack associated with the use of the drug, according to an article today in The Independent.
The 90 percent increased risk of a heart attack among patients using abacavir, according to an analysis of data from the international Data Collection on Adverse Events on Anti-HIV Drugs (D:A:D) study, was first reported at the 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in February in Boston. Final results were published in April in The Lancet.
When the D:A:D study results first became public, GSK responded by saying that an analysis of their studies including abacavir turned up no sign of an increased risk of a heart attack. The Independent, however, reports that physicians in Uppsala, Sweden, sent GSK a warning letter in May 2005 detailing 34 cases of heart attacks in their patients taking the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor. A statement about The Independent’s claim has not yet been released by GSK.
