| Avandia No Longer To Be Sold in Retail Pharmacies |
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on May 18, 2011, new and strict restrictions on the prescribing and use of Avandia and other rosiglitazone-containing medicines. After November 18, 2011, the drugs will no longer be available in retail pharmacies. Instead, both healthcare providers and patients must enroll in a special program in order to prescribe and receive these drugs.
Rosiglitazone-containing medicines include Avandia, Avandamet, and Avandaryl, and are used to treat type II diabetes. The FDA is imposing these restrictions because of data suggesting an elevated risk of heart attacks among users of Avandia and its generic forms. The restrictions are an implementation of the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS), an FDA program to manage serious risks of marketed drugs.
The complete FDA Drug Safety Communication on the new restrictions, and additional information from the FDA, may be found HERE.
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