Avandia Drug Information
FDA scientist has declared that the diabetes drug Avandia should be pulled from the market due to heart risks.
Dr. David Graham in a slide presentation illustrated that Avandia is no more effective in treating diabetes then other medications currently available on the market. Because of the known heart risks from taking Avandia he recommends it be taken off the market.
The presentation was at the beginning of a daylong meeting of a joint panel of outside experts brought together to consider whether the drug should be restricted to use in select patients and labeled with prominent warnings or removed altogether from sale.
Previously, the FDA said information from dozens of studies of the GlaxoSmithKline PLC drug points to an increased risk of heart attack.
First approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1999, Avandia is a drug designed by GlaxoSmithKline intended to treat type II diabetes. This condition, commonly called adult-onset diabetes, affects millions of people across the world.
Diabetes type II is characterized by insulin resistance, which means that the insulin in the body does not absorb glucose in the blood stream.
Avandia helps these patients moderate the amount of sugar in their body in order to prevent the serious complications type II diabetes can cause such as:
- Heart attack risks (Congestive heart failure Leaking heart injury)
- Renal failure
- Blindness
- Coronary artery disease
- Slow healing wounds
- Avandia dangerous and potentially-fatal side effects to the liver including:
- Jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin)
- Dark urine
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Stomach pain
These side effects should be treated immediately by medical professionals as they could be signs of serious liver damage.
Furthermore, Avandia is also linked to heart failure and hypoglycemia, or extremely low blood sugar. Avandia lawsuits are now being filed for side effects from taking the drug.
Heart failure symptoms include:
Chest pain
Swelling of the extremities
Weight fluctuations
Difficulty breathing/Shortness of breath
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