Prof. Peter Gotzsche, MD notes that the RECORD trial of the diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia) was terribly manipulated by GlaxoSmithKline.

An article published in the New York Times on July 9, 2010 titled, “Caustic Government Report Deals Blow to Diabetes Drug” revealed that Dr. Thomas Marciniak, a reviewer at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), found a dozen instances in which patients taking Rosiglitazone (Avandia) suffered serious heart problems that were not counted in the study’s tally of adverse events.

The article also notes that “It [ Rosiglitazone (Avandia) ] has been shown to increase the risks of bone fractures and to cause swelling that can lead to heart failure and eye problems.”

The article also notes that “Dr. Jerome P. Kassirer, a former editor of The New England Journal, said the Record trial raised the question “whether the entire system is corrupt.””

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Type 2 diabetics taking metformin were LESS likely to die during a 2.8-year follow-up than non-diabetic controls leading the authors of the study to suggest that metformin might have a life-extending effect even in non-diabetics.

“Patients with type 2 diabetes initiated with metformin monotherapy had longer survival than did matched, non-diabetic controls,” the authors of the paper noted.

“This supports the position of metformin as first-line therapy and implies that metformin may confer benefit in non-diabetes.”

To say this another way, the authors of the study are suggesting that metformin might be life-extending drug in people WITHOUT diabetes.

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Intensive glucose-lowering treatment does NOT lower the risk of death in Type 2 diabetics according to a meta-analysis of 13 studies.

The total risk of death was 4% HIGHER in those given intensive glucose-lowering treatment compared to those who were not given these treatments, however, the difference was not statistically significant, meaning this difference may be due to random chance. Read the entire article | Email this article

Intensive glucose-lowering treatment was found to INCREASE the risk a congestive heart failure by 47% in Type 2 diabetics according to a meta-analysis of 13 studies. Read the entire article | Email this article

The diabetes drug metformin (Glucophage) reduced the risk of death by 36% over 10.7 years in Type 2 diabetics according to a 1998 study.

Metformin ALONE was the ONLY diabetes drug to reduce the risk of death.

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Adding the diabetes drug metformin (Glucophage) to Type 2 diabetics who were already taking a sulphonylurea DOUBLED the risk of diabetes-related death -- a 96% increase -- over 10.7 years compared with continued sulphonylurea alone according to a 1998 study.

Metformin alone was the only diabetes drug to reduce the risk of death.

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