Why do Drs give us meds that can do more harm than good??This is just a example>Actos ,Avandia, a widely prescribed diabetes drug has been linked to a significantly higher risk of heart attacks and death from cardiovascular causes according to a research analysis of 42 studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine on May 21, 2007. The study prompted the FDA to issue a Safety Alert the same day.
Avandia, generically known as rosiglitazone, and made by GlaxoSmithKline, was found to be associated with a 43% increased risk of heart attack and a 64% increased risk of death from cardiac related causes. The results are based upon an analysis of 15,560 patients who took Avandia and a control group of 12,283 patients who received placebos or other drugs. Avandia was approved in 1999 for treatment of type 2 diabetes, which affects approximately 18 to 20 million Americans. Warning Details
The request from FDA for a black box warning for the labels of Avandia and Actos involved only increased risk for heart failure associated with the medications, not increased risk for heart attacks (Alonso-Zaldivar, Los Angeles Times, 6/7). Von Eschenbach said that "these drugs were being prescribed to patients with significant heart failure," despite current warnings on the labels of the treatments (Rubin, USA Today, 6/7).
He said that FDA has not reached a conclusion about whether Avandia and Actos increase risk for heart attacks and continues to analyze related trial data. An FDA advisory committee this summer plans to address the issue .
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