health
FDA curtails access to Avandia
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted June 6, 2011
The diabetes drug Avandia will not be available in retail pharmacies after Nov. 18, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Physicians have to enroll patients who need the medication in the Avandia-Rosiglitazone Medicines Access Program, the FDA said (link).
The medicine will then be mailed to the patient from select, certified pharmacies. Physicians who want to prescribe Avandia must enroll in the program, which aims to raise awareness about the increased risk of myocardial infarction associated with the drug.
In 2007, the FDA put a black box warning on Avandia when research showed that GlaxoSmithKline's type 2 diabetes drug increases the risk of a heart attack, a leading cause of death among diabetics.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/06/06/hlbf0606.htm.