Avandia linked to higher heart failure risk
Posted by Administrator (admin) on Nov 26 2008 at 5:08 PM
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A study says that Avandia may be riskier than Actos, another drug in the same class.

According to the researchers from Harvard University, the risk of heart failure and death for older diabetics appears greater with Avandia (rosiglitazone) than with Actos (pioglitazone). Avandia and Actos are part of a class of drugs known as thiazolidinediones.

Both the drugs are used to lower blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes.

“By contrast, Actos did not appear to increase the risk of cardiac events. One could get the impression that Actos led to the reduction of heart attacks,” said Dr. Wolfgang C. Winkelmayer, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

People inferred that it might be better to use Actos as Avandia has cardiovascular risks associated with it, Winkelmayer said.

Winkelmayer said that more patients taking Avandia were hospitalized due to cardiac problems.

The research team collected data on more than 28,000 diabetic patients aged 65 and older who were taking Avandia or Actos between 2000 and 2005. 50.3 percent among these patients took Actos and 49.7 percent took Avandia.

According to the researchers, 1,869 patients died after an year on the drugs. They found that patients taking Avandia had 15 percent greater death rate. And, the risk of heart failure was found 13 percent higher in patients taking Avandia.

In a statement released Monday, GlaxoSmithKline has defended its medication.

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