As the push to recall Avandia in the United States continues to pick up steam, German medical officials have determined that the health risks associated with GlaxoSmithKline’s diabetes drug make the medication “useless” and “harmful,” leading to a recommendation that the nation’s insurers should stop paying for its use.
The move by Germany’s Federal Joint Committee, consisting of doctors and health insurers, is the latest blow to GlaxoSmithKline’s attempts to keep Avandia on the market. In reaching its decision to tell insurers not to offer Avandia reimbursements, the committee cited growing evidence that side effects of Avandia cause heart problems. The move is almost certain to kill Avandia sales in Germany.
In the United States, the FDA is currently reviewing the safety of Avandia, and is planning to hold meetings next month to consider what should be done to protect consumers. Some officials within the FDA have been calling for an Avandia recall for several years, suggesting that strokes and heart attacks from Avandia may be responsible for the death or serious injury of more than 100,000 Americans since the medication was first approved.
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