Rezulin
On March 21, 2000, the head of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research proclaimed that the continued use of Rezulin posed an “unacceptable risk” to diabetes patients. There have been 63 known deaths from liver failure among Rezulin users, but taking into consideration those that were unreported, the estimated death total could be as much as ten times that amount.
Rezulin was prescribed to diabetics who took insulin but whose blood sugar was not under control. The drug was designed to assist insulin, whether it was naturally produced or injected, by drawing the sugar from blood into the cells to supply energy. Rezulin was approved for diabetics who used insulin and took specific kinds of oral antihyperglycemic medication or fodiabetics. It would be impossible to control these patients’ diabetes solely based on diet and exercise.
After an American died of complications with Rezulin, the drug was banned in England in December 1997. The drug’s manufacturer, Warner-Lambert, managed to fight a ban in the US for 27 months before the FDA finally chose to terminate sales on March 21, 2000. Prior to the ban, Rezulin gained $1.8 billion in revenue. The drug’s popularity reached an all-time high in January 1999.
Dr. David J. Graham, the FDA’s top authority on assessing and preventing prescription drug related deaths, concluded that Rezulin patients are 1,200 times more likely to experience complications due to liver failure! Graham also determined that a minimum of 430 Rezulin users suffered liver failure resulting in death or organ transplant. Liver damage caused by Rezulin can be particularly dangerous because indicators are far from obvious during the onset of the disease. However, as the stages progresses, some of the warning signs can include:
- Choking on or vomiting up large quantities of blood
- Wasting away of muscles
- Jaundice
- Increased growth of salivary glands
- Weakness and fatigue
- Weight loss
- Lack of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Fever
- Darkened urine
- Shrunken testicles
- Breast enlargement in males
- Spider veins
- Hair loss
- Curled fingers
- Red palms