Diabetes drug taken off market due to safety concerns

(Washington-AP) -- Drug company Park-Davis/Warner-Lambert is complying with a government request to pull its diabetes drug<br>Rezulin from the market.<br><br>The Food and Drug Administration says Rezulin

Tuesday, March 21st 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Washington-AP) -- Drug company Park-Davis/Warner-Lambert is complying with a government request to pull its diabetes drug
Rezulin from the market.

The Food and Drug Administration says Rezulin has been shown to be more toxic to the liver than similar drugs -- Avandia and Actos.

All three are used to help treat Type Two diabetes.

The F-D-A says a review of safety data has shown that Avandia and Actos, both approved in the past year, "offer the same benefits as Rezulin without the same risk."

Today's action comes just days after the F-D-A announced that at least 61 deaths have been linked to Rezulin.

Rezulin was well-received when it first went on the market in 1997 because it was the only drug available that restored the body's sensitivity to insulin. Eventually, about 750-thousand Americans took the drug.

On the Net: http://www.fda.gov