Avandia Linked To Cardiac Risk

Avandia, the popular diabetic treatment drug is under strong revue for possibly causing severe heart problems.

Says Dr. David Graham, the lead author of a study, that ultimately led the Food and Drug Administration to hold a hearing on the safety of the popular diabetes drug: “The risks of Avandia are great enough to put you in a hospital or in a cemetery!”

Graham said that the study, which was a huge review of Medicare records, warrants enough information for the pill to be banned. He pointed out that 100,000 heart attacks, strokes, deaths and cases of heart failure may be due to Avandia since it came on the market in 1999.

“The evidence is overwhelming,” Graham said. “There is not a single study where those two drugs are compared where Avandia doesn’t look worse than Actos. How many studies do you have to do before you come to your senses?”

Avandia’s maker, the British company GlaxoSmithKline PLC, maintains that its drug is safe. A spokeswoman said the new study has limitations, and that the company looks forward to a full discussion of evidence at the FDA hearing.

This is not the first time Avandia has been under suspicion. In May 2007, when a review of dozens of studies suggested it may raise the risk of heart-related deaths, warnings were added to its label.

Avandia is a once-blockbuster drug for Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease and the kind often tied to obesity. Avandia and Actos are both pills that help the body make better use of insulin, a key digestive hormone.

Avandia patients were 27 percent more likely to suffer strokes, 25 percent more likely to develop heart failure and 14 percent more likely to die than those on Actos, researchers found.

If you are currently taking Avandia please consult with your primary physician before you discontinue taking this medication. Never under any circumstance, take the decision of taking or stop taking prescribed drugs in your own hands.

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