Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus ( D-Mont. ) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley ( R-Iowa ) provided recent findings from their ongoing inquiry into diabetes drug Avandia to the Food & Drug Administration ( FDA ) on Monday. The Finance Committee inquiry uncovered documents suggesting that GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer of Avandia, failed to publish studies that found serious health risks associated with Avandia in a timely manner and actively promoted the drug despite the known safety concerns.

“ Information is the most important tool the FDA has to protect American consumers, and the documents we uncovered in our investigation will help arm the FDA with the best information possible as it evaluates Avandia’s safety, ” Baucus said. “ Patients and doctors have a right to know the risks of the medicines they use and prescribe, and drug companies have a responsibility to release data regarding safety concerns about their products. We will continue working with the FDA on Avandia to ensure patients and doctors have the information they need to make safe, informed decisions about their medications. ”

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