More bad news about diabetes drugs

Diabetes Drugs Increase Risk of Heart Failure
WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- July 27, 2007 -- A class of drugs commonly used
to treat type 2 diabetes may double the risk of heart failure,
according to a new analysis by researchers at Wake Forest University
School of Medicine and colleagues.

"Based on a review of research studies and case reports involving
more than 78,000 patients, the authors concluded that the risk of
heart failure may be up to 100 percent higher (depending on the type
of study) in patients taking thiazolinediones (which includes Avandia®
and Actos®). These drugs are known to enhance insulin sensitivity.

The authors estimated that one additional patient with type 2 diabetes
would develop heart failure for every 50 patients taking the drugs
over a 26-month period.

The results were published online in May 2007 by Diabetes Care and
will appear in the August print issue.

"These drugs are currently used by more than 3 million diabetic
patients in the U.S. alone, suggesting that several thousand could be
harmed," said Sonal Singh, MD, lead author and an assistant professor
in internal medicine at Wake Forest.

Earlier this year, one of the drugs in this class (Avandia®) was
linked to an increased risk of heart attack and death from
cardiovascular causes."

The authors also noted

" The product label for both drugs warns against their use in
patients with more severe cases of heart failure. The label also
cautions about the increased risk of heart failure if used in
combination with insulin. However, the current analysis found that the
risk wasn't confined just to patients on insulin, and it occurred even
among patients without any risk factors for heart failure. "Our
findings support current efforts by the FDA to add a black box warning
to the labeling for those agents," said co-investigator Curt Furberg,
MD, PhD, from Wake Forest.

"The occurrence of heart failure several months after initiation of
treatment suggests a long-term effect of the drugs, which may not be
avoided by beginning with low doses," said Singh."

From DG news
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/852571020057CCF68525732500676348?OpenDocument&id=28CE187CCC881BA085257174004906BB&c=&count=10

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