Canadians warn patients against Avandia

More limits on Avandia use, this time from Canadian regulators. While the FDA continues to debate adding various warnings to GlaxoSmithKline's embattled diabetes drug, HealthCanada has induced GSK to release new, restrictive guidelines.

According to GSK's Dear Doctor letter, the drug should never be used in a patient with heart failure, not even in the early stages. The drug can be added to metformin treatment, but only if metformin alone doesn't work. And Avandia should only be used on its own or with sulfa drugs if the patient can't tolerate metformin or has tried metformin without success. And it shouldn't be taken with insulin.

- see the "Dear Health Care Professional" letter at HealthCanada
- check out this item at Pharmalot
- read the report from The Record

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