Rosiglitazone (Avandia) will become an Authority Required PBS item to reflect concern
regarding its side effects, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee says.
Last year Europe suspended marketing licences for the drug, after a review concluded its benefits “no longer outweighed its risks”.
However in Australia, the TGA has allowed it to continue to be prescribed as monotherapy or dual therapy with metformin or a sulfonylurea.
Medicare figures show there were 7,966 prescriptions for rosiglitazone (Avandia and Avandamet) in March this year. This represents a continual decline from 47,529 prescriptions in March 2007.
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