May 23, 2011
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announces Avandia will no longer be sold at retail pharmacies beginning in November.
This means Avandia will only be available to patients who have been safely using the drug, or those who have had no success in controlling their blood sugar in any other way.
Patients wanting the drug must be enrolled by mail in an access program from certified pharmacies.
The drug manufacturer, Glaxosmithkline will withdraw the drug from the market and provide pharmacies with instructions on returning the medicines.
Rosiglitazone is also sold under the names Avandamet and Avandaryl -- the new rules apply to those drugs as well.
The withdrawal comes eight months after the food and drug administration severely restricted use of Rosiglitazone to patients with Type 2 diabetes where other medications don't work..
These new restrictions go into effect on November 18, 2011.
The drug maker Glaxosmithkline issued a statement saying they are fully committed to patient safety and will continue to work with the FDA in the best interest of patients.
They also remind patients to not abruptly stop their diabetes medication without consulting their physician.