European Medicines Agency says diabetes drug Avandia should be pulled from market

European agency says Avandia should be pulled

LONDON — European Medicines Agency says diabetes drug Avandia should be pulled from market.

In a news briefing on Thursday, the agency said it would suspend its marketing authorizations for the controversial drug which is linked to heart attacks.

It said the drug would be removed from the market within the next few months.

Earlier this month, Britain’s drug regulator said an independent panel of experts concluded Avandia raised the risk of heart attacks and recommended it be pulled from the market.

Avandia was approved by the European Medicines Agency in 2000 to help lower blood sugar levels in diabetes patients, but its use was restricted only to certain patients.