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The popular diabetes drug Avandia has been linked to an increased risk of heart attack and death, say researchers affiliated with insurer WellPoint.
- They analyzed the results of 16 studies involving 810,000 Avandia users and found a äóìmodest but statistically significantäó increase in the risk of heart attack and other certain heart conditions among those who took the diabetes management drug.
- Risk of mortality rose by 14% among those who took the drug, while risk of heart attack and risk of congestive heart failure rose by 16% and 23% respectively, according to the report.æ
Avandia is prescribed to roughly 3.8 million Americans to help manage type 2 diabetes.æ
Diabetes is the No. 1 cause of adult blindness, kidney failure and limb amputations in America, and can exacerbate both leg ulcers and some forms of dementia. The number of adults with type 2 diabetes is expected to nearly triple by 2050, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.æ
The study appeared in the March 17 online version of BMJ (British Medical Journal).