Rosiglitazone finally suspended

Published: 2010-12-01

When rosiglitazone was first authorised in the EU in 2000, it was contraindicated in patients with a history of cardiac failure. Since then, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has kept rosiglitazone under close surveillance for cardiovascular effects. The EU product information was updated in September 2006.

On 23 September 2010 the EMA announced that marketing authorisations for rosiglitazone-containing products are to be suspended across Europe. The products will cease to be available within the next few months. The CHMP announced that, overall, the accumulated data support an increased cardiovascular risk with rosiglitazone.

Several formulations of the GlaxoSmithKline drug are widely prescribed – in the UK about 90,000 patients are currently taking the drug. Pharmacists should be prepared to advise on suitable alternatives.

www.ema.europa