FDA Debates Avandia Safety

A diabetes drug that was once highly successful has its future in doubt. In an unusually candid FDA meeting, agency officials showed that they are not in agreement about the safety of Avandia. Some have called for it to be banned while other FDA bureaucrats defend its continued use.

During the past decade this drug became one of the most popular treatments for type-2 diabetes. But now experts are arguing about its safety. FDA investigators revealed that in one of the key studies, some patients who suffered heart attacks were not counted in the final tally of drug-induced complications. Company emails that have recently come to light showing that the manufacturer suspected that there might be problems with the drug at least 10 years ago. Regardless of the FDA's final action on Avandia, the company faces thousands of lawsuits. According to Bloomberg News, GSK has already agreed to settle roughly 10,000 of them at a cost of approximately $460 million.