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FDA Committee Debates Safety Of Avandia

By WKBW Programming
July 13, 2010 Updated Jul 13, 2010 at 8:51 PM EDT

A hearing is now underway outside Washington, where a Food and Drug Administration Committee is continuing a debate that has raged on for three years - is the diabetes drug Avandia too dangerous to stay on the market?
GlaxoSmithKline, the drug manufacturer claims Avandia is safe, but company documents acquired by the NY Times show that GSK knew the drug was a heart risk. Regarding its own findings, one Glaxo executive wrote in an email, "per senior management request, these data should not see the light of day to anyone outside of GSK". A Cleveland Clinic cardiologist told the FDA panel keeping Avandia on the market is dangerous.
The FDA is expected to issue a final ruling later this week on whether to order Avandia pulled from the market.

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