Catch up with all the latest Avandia news:
Avandia critic testifies at hearing
Avandia maker threatened to sue Critic
Glaxo’s Avandia Prescriptions Drop After Heart Report
Experts say early results from Avandia study not reassuring, despite Glaxo’s claim
Lawmakers to grill Glaxo, FDA on diabetes drug
Not the next Vioxx?
You sure JP?
The irony of it all – in support of Avandia, Glaxo has been forced to take out full page ads in publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal. These ads which are intended to reassure patients of the safety of the widely used medicine take the form of a letter to Avandia patients signed by Ronald Krall, chief medical officer of the world’s second- largest drugmaker.
The four paragraph letter concludes, “Be assured, GSK gives you our full commitment to providing you and your doctor with the facts about the safety of Avandia.”
However, about a quarter of the newspaper page is taken up by obligatory safety warnings in the same prominent typeface used for the letter. It includes a caution that Avandia can cause fluid retention, which “can make some heart problems worse or lead to heart failure.”
Read the full article by Bill Berkrot here at Scientific American.
