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Avandia News Oral Diabetes Drugs May Make Heart Failure Worse 09/02/2008- According to researchers at Wake Forest University, a class of oral drugs (the thiazolidinediones), which includes Avandia (rosiglitazone) and Actos (pioglitazone) may make heart failure worse in people with type 2 diabetes. The researchers had written several scientific articles in 2007 reporting that these drugs doubled the risk of congestive heart failure, and one of the medications, Avandia, was associated with increased heart attacks. In a hard-hitting editorial published in the September edition of the medical journal Heart, the researchers recommend that regulators should limit the use of this class of diabetes medications. They also question the rationale for leaving Avandia on the market. In an interview, one of the researchers noted that, "Safer, cheaper and more effective treatment alternatives are available that do not carry these negative cardiovascular risks in patients with diabetes.” Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required the makers of both Actos and Avandia to place a black box warning – the FDA’s strongest warning – on their labels indicating the increased risk of heart disease. More Information: Sources:
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