The News
Diabetes drug may be risky for heart
By Rob Stein The Washington Post
Article Last Updated: 05/22/2007 12:13:41 AM MDT
Washington - A drug widely used to control diabetes increases the risk of heart attacks and possibly death, researchers reported Monday, raising alarm about another popular prescription medication.
The drug, Avandia, taken by about 1 million Americans to keep their blood sugars at safe levels, boosts the risk for heart attacks by 43 percent and may increase the risk of dying from such an attack or stroke by 64 percent, according to a new analysis.
"This is very concerning," said Steven Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic, who conducted the analysis released early by the New England Journal of Medicine because of its public-health implications. "When you have a drug widely used in a population with a high inherent rate of heart disease, it's very, very concerning."
Nissen and others advised patients taking the drug to immediately consult with their doctor.

The Research
Read the research behind this story in the New England Journal of Medicine.