Newsflash #509

Senate Report Links Diabetes Drug Avandia to Heart Attacks. The diabetes drug Avandia is linked with tens of thousands of heart attacks, and drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline knew of the risks for years but worked to keep them from the public, according to a Senate committee report released Saturday. The 334-page report by the Senate Finance Committee also criticized the Food and Drug Administration, saying that the federal agency that regulates food, tobacco and medications overlooked or overrode safety concerns found by its staff. This is not new news, this is the Senate Committee reporting on the same information that was reported before, but they are taking a stronger stand.

Childhood Obesity and Pre-Diabetes Linked with Premature Death. See this week’s Item #1.