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WASHINGTON — A majority of federal health experts voted Wednesday to keep the controversial diabetes pill Avandia on the market despite evidence that it increases the risk of heart attack. A Food and Drug Administration panel voted 20-12 against withdrawing the GlaxoSmithKline drug.
Panelists who voted to keep the drug on the market were divided among several options, including adding new warning labels and restricting use of the drug. The FDA is not required to follow the panel’s advice, though it usually does.
The vote came despite an earlier ruling by the panel that Avandia appears to increase heart-attack risk compared with other diabetes treatments. The Associated Press
