FDA Votes to Keep Avandia on Market

The Food and Drug Administration panel reviewing the diabetes medicine Avandia has voted to allow the drug to stay on the market, despite finding clear evidence that it increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. The committee was divided, with 12 members pushing to withdraw Avandia, 17 voting to keep it on with additional warnings on the label, and only three voting for it to be sold as is. The drug has been the source of much controversy, with opponents saying it's dangerous, even deadly, and proponents saying it's the only medicine that works for some diabetics. "In making this plea to keep Avandia on the market, I believe I am pleading for my life," said one patient, who has been taking Avandia for 10 years. For him and others like him, "a negative decision about Avandia may be a death sentence."