WASHINGTON (AP) - An advisory panel for the Food and Drug
Administration is urging tougher testing of diabetes drugs for
heart risks.
The panel voted 14-2 for longer studies that could cost
manufacturers millions of dollars. The FDA was criticized last year
for not adding a warning to the drug Avandia about potential heart
risks until last November. Avandia was approved in 1999.
The FDA currently approves diabetes drugs based on their ability
to lower blood sugar. But the author of the Avandia analysis says
that has little value if drugs also increase heart problems.
Most of the panel says drug companies could begin safety testing
before submitting drugs to the FDA, and finish after they're on the
market.
The FDA usually follows the advice of its advisory panels.