Avandia Affecting Its Users

Allison Snoddy

Contributor

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Experts now caution all users of Avandia to talk to their physicians about whether or not they should be using the drug, and are warned not to quit the drug all together because some dangerous side effects might occur.

8 years ago Avandia, a drug used to treat type two diabetes, came onto the market and is now used by over six million people. According to a review published by the New England Journal of Medicine, studies have shown that users of Avandia showed a 43% higher risk of heart attack than those not on the drug. Worried patients should not quit Avandia on their own and should discuss concerns with their doctors, wrote Drs. Bruce Psaty and Curt Furberg in an editorial in the New England Journal. Although the maker of Avandia remains very confident in the safety of the diabetic medicine, A U.S. House committee will hold a hearing into the FDA's oversight of the safety of the drug.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to our section on Defective & Dangerous Products.