Unethical diabetes drug trial must be stopped

One of the foremost diabetes researchers in Canada has been joined by the US Group Public Citizen in calling for the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to curtail a major international diabetes drug trial .
The TIDE trial is investigating the risks of diabetes drug Avandia, and the expert calls for it to be stopped because there is not enough evidence to show the drug is more dangerous than a similar drug, Actos . Both drugs, however, are more dangerous that older diabetes drugs .
Dr. David Juurlink, researcher at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, reportedly commented: “It really does not make sense that this trial should continue. Given the gathering cloud of data regarding the risk of rosiglitazone as compared to pioglitazone, what really is the `big picture’ purpose of this trial? To see if the previous studies are right, and that rosiglitazone — which has no advantage over pioglitazone — really is more dangerous than pioglitazone? The need for certainty is not a reason to do a trial . These are patients, not guinea pigs.”