MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'avandia drug'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:35:36 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946672&cid=t_387628_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2F08%2Fbmj-says-avandia-should-never-have-been-licensed-in-britain-and-should-now-be-withdrawn%2F Is Glaxo going to get away with it… again? After the scandal of Seroxat – an unsafe drug with dangerous side effects, that made billions in profit and gained a licence using dodgy data supplied by GlaxoSmithKline, we now have the Avandia scandal: the story of an unsafe drug with dangerous side effects, that made billions in profit and gained a licence using dodgy data supplied by GlaxoSmithKline. See a pattern forming? Two days ago, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) said Avandia should never have been licensed in Britain and should now be withdrawn, after medical experts advised that its risks “outweigh its benefits”. The drug – also known as Rosiglitazone – was approved by the European Medicines Agency ten years ago to help lower blood sugar levels in p... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946672 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:37:57 +0100 3946672 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3872519&cid=t_387628_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fdo-you-trust-the-fda-drug-approval-process-questionable-says-time-magazine%2F We rely on the FDA to safety check medications before they hit the market, but a revealing article from TIME Magazine about the diabetes drug Avandia has us wondering if the FDA – and the drugs they approve – are really so trustworthy. The article discusses the case of Avandia, which was approved by the FDA despite studies that showed a 43% increase in heart attacks. What’s really disturbing about the story is the fact that drug companies like GSK, the makers of Avandia, have a closer relationship to the FDA than we’d like. In Avandia’s case, GSK actually met with the FDA to convince them that the research suggesting heightened risk of heart attack was inconclusive, and that their drug should stay on the market. In all, the article made us realize that huge, multi-bil... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3872519 Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:29:54 +0100 3872519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3679914&cid=t_387628_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FMXgDoWb_u_s%2F A sunny day here on the Pharmalot corporate campus, where we are using some spare moments to catch up on our reading. And of course, we are leisurely quaffing a few cups of stimulation. Later, we plan to grab a bite with Mrs. Pharmalot and The Pharmalittles in honor of you-know-what day. Whatever your plans, we hope the day is enjoyable. Meanwhile, here are a few stray items to keep you fresh. And remember to say hi to your dad. Have a great time… Patents on blockbusters are expiring. The human genome is not delivering. And the low-hanging fruit was long ago picked from the orchard of obvious follow-ups. Adrian Ivinson, director of Harvard’s NeuroDiscovery Center, is reminded of the shifts underway in the industry every time he looks out of his Cambridge, Ma., window at the “... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3679914 Sun, 20 Jun 2010 14:13:01 +0100 3679914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3483117&cid=t_387628_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F8YlODPoiDBY%2F The FDA may halt a safety study involving patients taking GlaxoSmithKline’s Avandia diabetes pill, which could also determine whether the drug stays on the market, The Wall Street Journal reports. You may recall recent studies tied the med to an increased risk of heart attacks, and in 2007, the FDA approved a trial comparing Avandia with Takeda Pharmaceutical’s Actos, which hasn’t generated the same degree of safety concerns. But some scientists say it is unethical to compare a drug with known cardiac risks with a seemingly safer alternative, and that Avandia should be pulled from the market. For several years, the FDA pooh-poohed these concerns, but has now called in the Institute of Medicine to review the ethics of head-to-head studies, according to the Journal. In a le... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3483117 Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:35:24 +0100 3483117 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1119359&cid=t_387628_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F207060339%2F One leading wag says it has. In a research note, David Risinger, a Merrill Lynch analyst who follows the pharmaceutical industry, writes that the flap over the cardiovascular risks posed by Glaxo’s diabetes pill may have swung the pendulum a bit too far. After noting a drop in scrips written this year for all oral diabetes meds, he worries aloud that diabetics and their docs may be avoiding treatment altogether. “We believe that scrutiny of Avandia may have harmed the US diabetic population by scaring some patients off of therapy. Avandia script declines have only been partially offset by increases in other oral diabetes medications. Although a small percentage of CV events may have been avoided, we worry that a large number of diabetes patients have less control of their blood... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1119359 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 15:06:52 +0100 1119359 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=880359&cid=t_387628_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F158042754%2F After gazing across the pond at the drug safety debate in the US, some UK politicians and docs would like to see the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) become more aggressive in reviewing drugs for safety signals. The concern is that, after such high-profile controversies as Vioxx and Avandia, the UK watchdog lacks initiative in encouraging doctors to file adverse event reports and most of its budget is earmarked for reviewing drugs (if this sounds familiar to American ears, well…). “Just how many people in the UK are being affected by a drug is the key question that the system is just not able to answer at all well at the moment,” Dhruv Kazi, an expert in medical statistics at the London School of Economics, tells The Daily Mail. “We badly ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=880359 Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:18:46 +0100 880359 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=844129&cid=t_387628_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F152606523%2F There’s a certain irony in this, wouldn’t you say? The drugmaker is under the gun from docs, regulators and, especially, investors, mostly thanks to the travails of its diabetes drug. So what do the marketing folks do? They instruct their sales reps to distribute these little stress balls stamped with the Avandia logo. Given recent events, these might be more useful if kept in storage for distribution at the next shareholder meeting or, perhaps, as part of any forthcoming severance packages for employees. Hat tip to Drug Rep Toys Share / E-mail (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=844129 Wed, 05 Sep 2007 17:37:12 +0100 844129 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=744842&cid=t_387628_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F07%2F19%2Favandia-millions-worldwide-taking-part-in-a-large-scale-experiment%2F New details on the side effects of the diabetes drug Avandia have been released (New Scientist 18 July 2007), indicating it can cause 50% more weight gain than similar medications and double the risk of dangerous fluid retention in the body. A team of researchers led by Bernd Richter at Heinrich Heine University in Dusseldorf, Germany, found the latest bad news to report about Avandia. The team reviewed 18 studies, which had an average follow-up time of about six months. They found the risk of dangerous fluid retention in the body – a condition known as oedema – doubled in those taking the Avandia, compared with patients on other diabetes medications. The diabetics taking Avandia had a 7% risk of oedema – five times higher than those taking placebos. Oedema is characterised by swelli... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=744842 Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:42:50 +0100 744842 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=682750&cid=t_387628_87_f&fid=34867&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thediabetesblog.com%2F2007%2F06%2F18%2F1970s-orinase-scandal-predates-avandia-troubles%2F Filed under: Type 2, DrugsIn the Houston Chronicle, People's Pharmacy columnists Joe Graedon and Teresa Graedon remember a drug scandal from 1970 that mirrors today's Avandia troubles almost exactly. Orinase, a popular diabetes drug was found to be increasing the very heart trouble it was designed (and marketed) to prevent. Orinase's active ingredient is tolbutamide, a substance that stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin. According to the Graedons, the heart damage being caused by Orinase-takers was first revealed by the University Group Diabetes Program in 1970 following an extensive analysis of diabetes care in the US. Like the Avandia controversy, experts also debated the results of the University Group's conclusions on Orinase, yet it was more or less eventually accepted as fact t... The Diabetes Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=682750 Mon, 18 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0100 682750 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=638032&cid=t_387628_150_f&fid=34889&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpharmamkting.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F05%2Fgsk-may-step-into-dtc-void-to-defend.html According to a Wall Street Journal article, a Glaxo spokeswoman said the company isn't planning consumer ads defending Avandia, but won't rule them out, either. "At the moment, there is an information vacuum, and GSK may need to step into the void," she said.Perhaps "vortex" is a better word than "void" in this case.GSK coincidentally took "a short break" from U.S. Avandia ads when the safety concerns arose. Although GSK claims this move was unrelated to the recent safety concerns, one has to imagine that GSK knew full-well what was coming.Although GSK is cautious, and rightly so, about "filling the void" with alternative Avandia safety data for consumers, it has no such qualms when it comes to propagandizing among physicians.According to the WSJ article:In meetings with doctors, Glaxo sal... Pharma Marketing Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=638032 Fri, 25 May 2007 11:12:00 +0100 638032