New Avandia data unlikely to appease critics

With top GlaxoSmithKline officials preparing to enter the lion's den of a Congressional hearing later today, the drug giant released data from a new study on Avandia that demonstrated that the drug's safety profile compared well against other diabetes therapies on the market. The data was drawn from a managed care database of 33,000 diabetes patients. Yesterday, GSK released early analysis from an ongoing clinical study of Avandia's cardiovascular risks, saying it showed no significant differences from other such drugs.

Experts, though, say that it's still too early to truly determine exactly what kind of risks Avandia represents. And none of it is expected to soften the questions GSK is likely to face from a Congress riled by new evidence that a major drug company and the FDA once again ignored the serious health risks posed by a blockbuster drug.

- see yesterday's data on Avandia
- read the report from The Scotsman

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