Should you Take or Not Take Diabetes Drug Avandia

Tue, 20 Jul 2010
Avandia is used by many thousands of British patients with type 2 diabetes .

However, how safe is this diabetes drug?

In the recent past, its the manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline has forked out £330 million plus in compensation to American diabetics for strokes, heart attacks and heart failure related to the drug.

Even though the American Food and Drug Administration carried out a two-day hearing into the drug's side-effects and decided to let it remain on the market, a majority state that they were worried about the drug increasing the likelihood of heart attacks.

Due to such divided opinion, the FDA voted to leave the drug on the market, with more warnings on the label. In terms of British patients, certain experts are concerned that many patients are being prescribed the drug when there is a safer alternative. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is going to decide if Avandia is going to stay on the British market.

However, in recent years the EMA' official response to concerns regarding Avandia has been that its benefits outweigh its risks.

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