Avandia raises heart attack risk
http://www.gbmnews.com/articles/583/1/Avandia-raises-heart-attack-risk/Page1.html
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Published on 05/22/2007
A new analysis links the widely prescribed diabetes drug Avandia to greater risk of heart attack and possibly death.
More than six million people worldwide have taken the GlaxoSmithKline drug since it came on the market eight years ago.
A new analysis links the widely prescribed diabetes drug Avandia to greater risk of heart attack and possibly death. More than six million people worldwide have taken the GlaxoSmithKline drug since it came on the market eight years ago.
Avandia raises heart attack risk
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE, AP
A new analysis links the widely prescribed diabetes drug Avandia to greater risk of heart attack and possibly death.
More than six million people worldwide have taken the GlaxoSmithKline drug since it came on the market eight years ago.
Pooled results of dozens of studies disclosed a 45% greater risk of heart attack, according to the analysis, published online yesterday by the New England Journal of Medicine.
The drug is used to treat Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, which is linked to obesity.
It occurs when the body does not make enough insulin or cannot effectively use what it manages to produce.
Avandia helps sensitize the body to insulin and was considered a breakthrough medication for blood-sugar control.
Its maker, British-based GlaxoSmithKline PLC, scheduled an afternoon news conference to discuss the report.
The company's stock was down seven per cent in morning trading after the medical journal's report appeared.
Several experts said it was another Vioxx-like example of government failing to detect a safety problem until millions had taken a drug.
Vioxx was a blockbuster arthritis medicine until it was withdrawn in 2004 when heart problems came to light.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had no immediate comment on the report.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2007/05/22/4198401-sun.html
A new analysis links the widely prescribed diabetes drug Avandia to greater risk of heart attack and possibly death.
More than six million people worldwide have taken the GlaxoSmithKline drug since it came on the market eight years ago.
Pooled results of dozens of studies disclosed a 45% greater risk of heart attack, according to the analysis, published online yesterday by the New England Journal of Medicine.
The drug is used to treat Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, which is linked to obesity.
It occurs when the body does not make enough insulin or cannot effectively use what it manages to produce.
Avandia helps sensitize the body to insulin and was considered a breakthrough medication for blood-sugar control.
Its maker, British-based GlaxoSmithKline PLC, scheduled an afternoon news conference to discuss the report.
The company's stock was down seven per cent in morning trading after the medical journal's report appeared.
Several experts said it was another Vioxx-like example of government failing to detect a safety problem until millions had taken a drug.
Vioxx was a blockbuster arthritis medicine until it was withdrawn in 2004 when heart problems came to light.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had no immediate comment on the report.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2007/05/22/4198401-sun.html