New Light Shed on the Diabetes, FDA, &Avandia Controversy!

Diabetes and Avandia remain the number one health story after a panel at the recent FDA Advisory Committee meeting voted to keep the drug should on the market. However, the steady stream of complex and seemingly contradictory news coverage has left doctors and patients confused and seeking advice. This confusion is underscored by a survey of nearly 200 primary care physicians and endocrinologists that measured the impact of recent news coverage on diabetic patients. The survey found that more than half of physicians said their patients have quit taking their diabetes medication and more than 75% said the recent news has led to fear among patients. For diabetics, maintaining control of blood sugar through diet, exercise and medication as appropriate is the key to managing the disease, a disease that has potentially devastating consequences such as kidney disease, blindness, amputations and a variety of cardiovascular problems. Steven V. Edelman, M.D. Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of California, San Diego provides perspective surrounding the confusion created from this recent wave of media coverage and the data presented at the FDA advisory committee. Dr Edelman presented to the panel at the Avandia FDA Advisory Committee. He discusses the impact the Avandia media coverage has had on diabetes patients.