Study: New Diabetes Pill (Muraglitazar) Deemed Dangerous

The study by leading heart researchers found twice as many deaths and cardiovascular problems in diabetic adults taking the drug Pargluva as those on dummy pills or a competing drug. Developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck & Co., the drug, known generically as muraglitazar, was endorsed by a Food and Drug Administration panel last month. It is a treatment for Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the condition and one that occurs most often in people who are overweight. If the analysis is correct, the drug could have meant a "public health catastrophe" given that 18 million Americans have diabetes, said Dr. Steven Nissen, who worked on the analysis with Dr. Eric Topol and a clinic statistician. Pargluva would be the first diabetes drug on the market designed to lower blood sugar, reduce fatty triglycerides and increase levels of "good" cholesterol, Nissen said. Other drugs achieve those results individually, said Dr. Peter Lurie, deputy director of the Public Citizen Health Research Group, a consumer advocacy group.