More Studies Show Avandia Unsafe; New Warning on Actos

Avandia, the popular diabetes drug that GAP client David Graham recently testified against at an FDA advisory board meeting, has been shown to substantially increase heart attack risk and heart failure, according to two new studies. (USA Today, Reuters)

One might recall that, despite Graham’s protest, the FDA advisory board voted (in June) for the drug to remain on the market. That decision came immediately on the heals of a vote by the same advisory board finding that Avandia probably did raise the risk of heart attack.

But the actual new news (or at least, what we weren’t pretty sure about before), is that Avandia rival Actos, while cutting the risk of heart attack, does raise the risk of heart failure.