Diabetes drug Avandia still being prescribed

Mon, 06 Sep 2010
Although there are continuing health concerns over the use of the diabetes drug Avandia, also known as Rosiglitazone, and it is under a Europe-wide review, it has been revealed that the drug remains freely available from the NHS in the UK.

Research undertaken for the BBC Panorama programme found that the drug, which is used to combat type 2 diabetes, is still being prescribed despite the fact that it has already been recommended for withdrawal. The drug, which is used by diabetics to regulate blood sugar levels, is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and has raised major concerns about its link to heart attacks and heart failure .

After research by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the organisation wrote to healthcare professionals asking them to consider alternative treatments where appropriate, and announced that it was pushing for a UK withdrawal as part of the Europe-wide review by the European Medicines Agency . The review will publish its findings on whether to restrict its prescription or withdraw it completely later this month.

Doctors have been advised not to prescribe Avandia to people who are at risk of heart failure; however, recent research has found that it could also be a danger to those who have no previous history of heart problems.

GSK has said that the drug is safe if it is properly monitored and that its research showed the drug to be effective if prescribed appropriately.

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