• 19
  • May
    2011

A recent post on this blog noted that GlaxoSmithKline, U.K.'s largest pharmaceutical manufacturer, would soon be settling more than 1,000 suits filed by patients who had been harmed from using the popular diabetes medication Avandia. Avandia was approved in 1999 to decrease blood-sugar levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes, which affects around 23 million Americans.

Fox News reported just today that Avandia, generically known as rosiglitazone, will be removed from pharmacy shelves beginning in November. The move is part of a new Food and Drug Administration program which seeks to protect consumers from the dangerous drug, which is known to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

According to a 2007 analysis published by Nissan, Avandia increases the risk of heart attack by roughly 40 percent for those with type 2 diabetes. Back in 2007, a drug safety expert from the FDA testified that between 66,000 and 200,000 people had experienced heart problems or death as a result of taking the medication. According to sources, almost half a million patients had filled prescriptions for products containing the drug from January through October 2010.

After it takes effect, only doctors with special certification may prescribe Avandia, but only to patients who are aware of the risks and fill their prescription by mail from certain pharmacies.

Some doctors have criticized the FDA for taking such a long time to set up new restrictions on the drug, but others feel the FDA has taken a reasonable approach to the problems presented by the drug.

Source: Fox News, "Diabetes Drug to Be Removed From Shelves," 19 May 2011.