Should Avandia Still Be Available?

Jennifer Moore

Contributor

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FDA panel decided on Monday to leave Avandia on the market. Consumers with Type II diabetes can continue to purchase the drug, Avandia, despite recent study showing increased risk of heart attack. At the same time, the FDA panel recognized that the drug, Avandia, has been linked to increased heart attacks among patients. Some panelists recommend a black box warning to be printed on the drug label. However, one heart attack due to a drug is too many. Further studies should be conducted and a thorough investigation into the risks of Avandia must be pursued.

About 1 million Americans with Type 2 diabetes use Avandia to control blood sugar by increasing the body's sensitivity to insulin. That sort of treatment has long been presumed to lessen the heart risks already associated with the disease, which is linked to obesity. News that Avandia might actually increase those risks would represent a "serious limitation" of the drug's benefit, according to the FDA.

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