Avandia, a medication for Type 2 diabetes, has been getting a lot of media attention lately. If you are taking the drug, this is information you need to know.

Avandia has been found to have health risks for older patients. A new study of 227,571 seniors shows that those taking Avandia had a 27% higher risk of stroke, a 25% higher risk of heart failure, and a 14% higher risk of death than those taking a similar drug called Actos. Experts say that Actos is just as effective as Avandia but doesn't pose these heath risks:

"Our study shows very clearly that Avandia is much less safe than Actos in things that really matter -- things that will put you in the hospital or land you in the cemetery," Graham tells WebMD. "If you are a doctor, there is no earthly reason why you should continue to prescribe Avandia. There are safer alternatives."

According to WebMD, the FDA will meet July 13 and 14th to discuss possibly taking Avandia off the market. To learn more, check out the LA Times piece below.

And if you ever experience dangerous side effects from a drug, call my office at 702-240-0000, text us at 24-0000, or go to edbernstein.com.

-Ed Bernstein

Avandia: When does a drug's harm outweigh its benefit?

July 01, 2010|David Lazarus

It's scary enough that a widely prescribed diabetes drug, Avandia, was shown in new studies this week to pose a substantially greater risk of heart attacks for users.

But what should really get consumers freaked is that healthcare experts and federal regulators say this isn't really surprising. When it comes to drug safety, they say, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.

Find this article at: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/01/business/la-fi-lazarus-20100702