Again I have to wonder who the FDA is protecting...because it certainly isn't us.
Late Friday, the FDA announced that they were approving a new drug -- Effient, Eli Lilly's new blood thinner -- even though this drug comes with extremely dangerous and potentially deadly risks.
The drug is so dangerous that the FDA has technically approved it only for specific patients, people getting angioplasty. Here's the catch: In the study the approval was based on, patients taking Effient faced "a greater risk of significant, sometimes fatal bleeding" when compared to Plavix, a top-selling blood thinner. On top of that, patients who'd already had strokes faced a higher risk of suffering another stroke if they took Effient.
Are the risks worth it? Nope. Not at all. Because while Effient slightly reduced the risk of non-fatal heart attacks, the number of deaths was "similar" with both drugs. So Effient doesn't really work better, and it increases your risk of repeat stroke and fatal bleeding.
The only possible explanations for this approval: Insanity. Stupidity. Money. (I'm betting on the third.)
Bottom line: If you're heading for angioplasty, make sure the doctor doesn't use Effient.
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