Avandia and Heart Attacks

connection between avandia and heart attacks prompts fda safety alert

avandia diabetes insulinAs many as 100,000 heart attacks may be linked to , according to Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) in a floor statement placed in the Senate record on May 24, 2007.

, sold by the British company PLC, is a blockbuster medication used to treat Type 2 , the most common form of the disease. More than 6 million people worldwide have taken the drug, whose U.S. sales topped $2.2 billion last year.

Analysis led by Cleveland Clinic cardiology chief Dr. Steven Nissen of 42 separate studies on concluded that it raised the risk of heart attacks by 43 percent, compared to the rates among people taking no or other drugs. The analysis also indicated that might increase the risk of heart-related deaths.

Any increase in risk is especially worrisome for diabetics because two-thirds of them die of heart problems.

About 1 million Americans are currently taking , which costs from $90 to $170 for a one-month supply.

The FDA and experts are advising users of to talk to their doctors and not to immediately discontinue the drug.

Learn more about Avandia side effects.

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If you or a loved one have suffered serious side effects while taking , if you have been diagnosed with blood clots, , or stroke, or if you are experiencing the symptoms associated with any of these serious side effects, you may have a claim against the manufacturer of .

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