|
Diabetes Drug Pulled Off the Market
The US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), on March 22, 2000 pulled the
diabetes drug Rezulin off the market. The drug had been used by more than
700,000 patients and been responsible for more than 61 deaths. Dr. Sidney
Wolfe, a critic of the FDA for being too slow, said the drug should have been
taken off the market long ago. He characterized the drug as, "one of
the most dangerous drugs." The problem with the drug was toxicity to
the liver. In an interesting response, Warner Lambert, the maker of
Rezulin, has voluntarily agreed to stop selling the drug, but they did comment
that they felt the benefits of the drug outweighed the risks. I am sure
that is of little consolation to the families of the 61 people who died.
|