KUWAIT CITY, Sept 25, (KUNA): Ministry of Health announced here on Saturday the withdrawal, stoppage and prevention of the circulation of the (Avandia) drug for diabetes type II as a precautionary measure based on the recommendations of the European and American Drug Administration bodies.

Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for medicines and medical equipment, Dr Omar Al-Sayyed Omar told (KUNA) that the withdrawal decision was the result of the recommendations that indicate such a drug causes a risk to the heart and arteries.

Omar said that the Ministry would revoke all Avandia drug amounts available at the local agent and would withdraw and prevent circulation of the drug in private and public pharmacies, calling at the same time on drug users to stop using it and consult a doctor for the use of other similar drugs.

He stressed that the role of the Department of Drug and Food Control is to ensure patient access to medication in order to preserve his health and safety, noting that the pharmaceutical and food control in Kuwait keenly follows recommendations and procedures the American and European Drug Administration bodies.

The medical authorities of the European and US said recently that the Avandia drug increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes, as the the Committee of Experts of the European Agency for drugs had concluded, based on the data available, that the benefits of the drug were not sufficient compared with the risks that may be caused while the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had issued a decision to significantly limit the use of the drug without preventing it for good.