US warns diabetes medicine causes heart attack

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on June 7 that it has decided to include two drugs for type 2 diabetes, Avandia and Actos, on the list of the highest-warning drugs for safety.

These two drugs are produced by GlaxoSmithKline and Takeda, which may increase the risk of stroke in patients by 33%, said Andrew von Eschenbach, FDA director, during the US House of Representatives' hearing on July 7. 6. The US House of Representatives is considering why the FDA will not speak until this week.

The incident began to show up late last month after the famous New England Journal medical journal published two articles expressing concerns about the safety of the two drugs. GlaxoSmithKline has argued, saying a clinical trial showed that their drugs did not increase the risk of stroke. Previously, FDA did not issue any official warnings. It was reported that the FDA last year reprimanded a drug examiner for warning about the side effects of this drug.

A US senator holds a GlaxoSmithKline brochure on the safety of Avandia's diabetes medication while questioning FDA on June 7 (Photo: AP)

M.HUY