FDA Adds Black Box Warning to Actos, Avandia
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that a black box warning has been placed on the popular diabetes drugs Avandia and Actos (pioglitazone hydrochloride), regarding an increased risk of heart failure among some patients taking the medications. The drugs treat Type 2 diabetes by decreasing insulin resistance. The warnings will be aimed at physicians who prescribe the drugs, urging them to monitor their patients for dangerous cardiac symptoms. The drugs had previously been labeled as increasing the risk of heart failure, but a stronger warning label was agreed upon when it became evident that physicians were still prescribing the drug too frequently.
Previously on the D.C. Metro Area Medical Malpractice Law Blog, we have posted articles related to:
- An FDA decision to add black box warnings to diabetes drugs
- Older diabetes drugs found to be more effective than newer ones
- A federal report on the scope of U.S. diabetes spending
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