Diabetes Drug Linked to Heart Woes Again; FDA Weighs Ban

The mountain of evidence against diabetes drug Avandia grew a bit bigger today, with two major studies linking the medication to heart disease and stroke, the LA Times reports. An FDA panel will meet next month to discuss recalling the drug, which has been on the agency's radar at least since 2007, when a large analysis determined that Avandia raises users' risk of suffering a heart attack.

"We have two studies done by independent groups, published in very responsible journals using different approaches coming to the same conclusion," said the lead author of one of the studies released today, who told Reuters he believes Avandia should be pulled from the market. "It's everything we know about this drug during its very sad and unfortunate history."
(More Avandia stories.)