New details on the side effects of the diabetes drug Avandia have been released, indicating it can cause 50% more weight gain than similar medications and double the risk of dangerous fluid retention in the body.
The review of 18 previous studies, involving 8000 patients, also echoes earlier warnings that the drug can elevate the risk […]

Metabasis Therapeutics yesterday delivered a one-two punch of bad news to investors regarding its experimental diabetes and hepatitis therapies, sending its shares plummeting more than 50 percent.The San Diego-based company said its developmental therapy for Type 2 diabetes failed to meet efficacy endpoints in a midstage trial. Meanwhile, the company said Schering-Plough Corp. has terminated […]

The generic drug metformin has fewer side effects than several newer, pricier medications, a government report finds. Metformin users are less likely to gain weight than type 2 diabetes patients who take Avandia, Actos, or other newer medications, researchers concluded, and they are more likely to show improvements in so-called “bad” cholesterol.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins […]