Update: Avandia must be withdrawal from shelves by November

By Dr Ananya Mandal, MD
The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has announced that in the beginning of November, the diabetes drug Avandia will no longer be sold in pharmacy shelves, due to the cardiovascular risks it’s causing its patients.
Type 2 Diabetes
The drug and combination therapies containing it will no longer be available in retail pharmacies starting Nov. 18, according to the FDA, which is requiring doctors and patients to enroll in a program to prescribe or take them. The rules state that the drug will only be available to patients that have been taking the medicine safely, and to those who can’t control their blood sugars with another drug and to those who know the risks of Avandia and still choose to take it. This, according to the agency means that the patients will have to enroll in a special program to qualify for the drug.
As part of restrictions by the FDA last September, doctors have had to state and document a patient’s eligibility to use Avandia, they also have to let patients know of the risks that could come with using Avandia and patients have to acknowledge that they understand. affects about 23 million Americans, and is caused by a problem that in the body makes or uses insulin. Insulin is used to move the blood sugar into the cells. Avandia from GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK) is one of the newest drugs to be taken orally for blood sugar control.