New Study Backs Fears Over Diabetes Tablets

Experts have published more evidence that a commonly-prescribed diabetes drug increases the risk of heart failure compared with a similar medication.

A new study confirms previous research that Avandia (rosiglitazone), a drug for Type 2 diabetes, is associated with an increased risk of heart failure and death.

The research among older patients, published online in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), compared rosiglitazone with another, pioglitazone.

The Canadian researchers said it was difficult to justify continuing patients on rosiglitazone when it had no substantial advantage over pioglitazone.

"Among older patients with diabetes, pioglitazone is associated with a significantly lower risk of heart failure and death than is rosiglitazone," they wrote.

"Given that rosiglitazone lacks a distinct clinical advantage over pioglitazone, continued use of rosiglitazone may not be justified."

The study was carried out on almost 40,000 patients aged 66 years or over who started treatment with either rosiglitazone or pioglitazone between April 2002 and March 2008.