Doctors Not Ready to Abandon Diabetes Drug

Study that links Avandia to heart attacks needs further exploration, experts say

By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter

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FRIDAY, May 25 (HealthDay News) -- The news that the popular diabetes drug Avandia may increase the risk of heart attack is being met with concern, but not alarm, by health-care professionals.

"We think people should speak to their physician. We don't feel this is an emergency situation," said Dr. Sue Kirkman, vice president of clinical affairs for the American Diabetes Association. "The study was concerning, but the numbers were very, very small -- about an additional one per 1,000."

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"People should definitely not panic, and they should talk to their doctors," added Dr. Mary Ann Banerji, professor of medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York City.

Rachel Villarreal, a health educator with the Diabetes Education Program in the Texas A&M Health Science Center Coastal Bend Health Education Center, said, "Patients should consult their health-care provider and determine if the risks outweigh the benefits, because there are a lot of benefits to Avandia."

"Don't just take yourself off the medication," Villarreal added. "If you don't feel comfortable taking it, there are other treatment options that are similar."

Those reactions rolled in as a U.S. senator said Thursday that the Food and Drug Administration had been aware for some time of the heart risks posed by the drug. But the FDA said there's no conclusive proof that the risks of Avandia outweigh its benefits.

Still, not panicking and taking a deep breath seemed to be the prevailing expert opinion regarding research published in the June 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine that found that Avandia -- an oral medication with the generic name rosiglitazone -- increases users' risk for heart attack by 43 percent. The journal's editors released the findings on Monday because of their public health importance.

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