The Ministry of Health decided on Saturday to recall the diabetes medication Avandia along with 13 other drugs containing the same active ingredient from pharmacies after reports revealed they cause health risks. In a statement, the ministry urged diabetic patients to ask their physicians for substitutes for Avandia, especially after the European Medicine Agency said that the drug's side effects outweigh its advantages. The statement also said that the use of Avandia in the US has been restricted to patients who do not respond to other diabetes medications. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had earlier restricted the use of Avandia after studies suggested its use could increase the risk of cardiovascular problems. Ashraf Bayoumi, head of the Central Department for Pharmaceutical Affairs, said the ministry has made a wise decision by banning these drugs. Amr Mamdouh, head of GlaxoSmithKline, the company producing the drug in Egypt, said his company puts the interest of the patient first and that it has provided the ministry with all the drug information. According to 2008 government statistics, there are 4.4 million diabetic patients in Egypt. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that the total number of diabetic patients in Egypt will rise to around 6.7 million in 2030. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
