Diabetes Drug Avandia is On a Hot Seat

Filed in archive Developments , News , Treatment on May 23, 2007

The type 2 diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitazone maleate) - a product of GlaxoSmithKline - is being implicated to increased risk of stroke heart attacks, based on safety data recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Currently, the FDA is reviewing the new safety data and has not yet confirmed the clinical implications that this new data has created.

Of course, Avandia's maker - GlaxoSmithKline - is strongly disagreeing with the conclusions on the said article.

Diabetes UK said that the NEJM article results is no cause for alarm and strongly recommends that people with type 2 diabetes eat a well-balanced diet and incorporate physical activity into their daily life.

Bloomberg has the latest update, including lawsuit that Glaxo may face.

However, this could be Eli Lilly's gain businesswise. Eli Lilly is a diabetes drug giant.

Personally, I think that drug regulatory agencies like the FDA and pharma giants should really get their act together before releasing any product into the market. Efficacy and safety data should be honestly generated and must be well scrutinized. Real people with serious conditions are going to consume these drugs.

For once drug manufacturing companies should think of the safety of their end-clients and not just the revenues they'd generate out of these drugs.

And prevent controversies like this. But then that's just me and my wishful thinking.

[I've been a little late with covering this issue, read what kendra James has to say on the issue over at Diabetes Notes.]