Avandia (rosiglitazone maleate) is an oral antidiabetic agent which acts primarily by increasing insulin sensitivity. Avandia is used in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [NIDDM] or adult-onset diabetes). The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a report that links the diabetes drug Avandia with an increased heart attack risk. According to the report, the increased risk is as high as 43 percent. This works out to about one heart attack per 1000 patients. About 1 million diabetics in the U.S. alone take Avandia to help control their blood sugar. This means that thousands of diabetics could be at risk from Avandia. Avandia is the No. 2 seller for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a British company. About 1 million Americans take the pill, which generated about $3 billion in sales last year.
Do not change medications without first consulting your doctor.