Avandia: Drug Similar to Avandia Actually Cuts Heart Risk

Actos, a diabetes drug made by Takeda Pharmaceutical, appears to actually lower the risk of heart attack and death by 44 percent in diabetic patients with kidney disease. The findings were made based on the data collected from a group of patients enrolled in a previous study. In a different study, Actos reduced inflammation and blood clots more than a placebo. Takeda's drug is in the same family as Avandia, the drug recently shown to increase heart attack risk. The data from Actos suggests that the problems with Avandia aren't linked to other drugs in the same family.

Robert Spanheimer, the senior medical director for diabetes at Takeda, says that "Actos works even if you're in the highest of the highest risk populations." Many doctors have begun switching patients who had been taking Avandia to Actos.