Court Revives GSK Lawsuit, Finding Non English Speaking Plaintiffs May Not Have Been Told Drug’s Risks

A California appeals court revived a lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline in which the plaintiffs claimed the company failed to properly warn non-English speakers about the risks of its antidiabetic drug Avandia (rosiglitazone).

The four plaintiffs sued GSK in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2011, alleging the company failed to warn of the cardiovascular risks associated with Avandia, which they all took between 2002 and 2007. All four were diagnosed with cardiovascular injury.

The trial court ruled in GSK’s favor, claiming the available information properly informed the plaintiffs of the potential risks. In their appeal, the plaintiffs argued the trial court did not consider that they only spoke Armenian and had no access to English-language media.