Washington, DCComing shortly after the British Medical Journal said that an increased risk of Avandia heart attacks should force the diabetes medication to be pulled from the market, the US Food and Drug Administration announced that it would severely restrict its use.
The FDA, along with health officials from Europe, recently announced that Avandia would no longer be widely used to treat diabetes, according to the New York Times. The news source said that such a coordinated announcement was unusual.
The medication will be completely withdrawn from the European market and it will be used only as a last resort in the US.
Patients in America will only be allowed to use Avandia if they and their doctors show that they have tried every other method to combat diabetes. In addition, patients will have to be made aware of the increased risks of Avandia heart attacks.
Those who currently take Avandia will be able to continue taking the medication, reports the news source.
One study on Avandia estimated that between 1999 and 2000, 47,000 people who took the medication needlessly suffered heart attacks, strokes or heart failure, according to the New York Times.
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