Avandia Study Panics diabetes patients
New research suggesting the diabetes drug Avandia may trigger heart problems has set off a major finger-pointing battle. The Food and Drug Administration is saying more analysis is needed. Caught in the crossfire are panicked patients who don't know what to believe or what to do. Organizations like the American Heart and Diabetes Associations have issued statements acknowledging that the findings are serious and deserve follow-up, but they note that the overall risk to patients seemed relatively small. The statement does not recommend stopping treatment and advises patients to be patient. But not every patient is willing to wait for that answer and they are probably going to switch drugs. It's estimated that more than 2 million people worldwide take the drug Avandia for Type 2 diabetes. The drug was first approved in 1999.
