In 1999, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor John Buse voiced his concerns about the safety of diabetes drug Avandia to its manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

On June 6, 2007, Dr. Buse will testify at a congressional hearing about whether the company and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should have alerted the public about the potential risks associated with Avandia.

The hearing comes after a study conducted by cardiologist Steven Nissen was published in the New England Journal of Medicine that linked Avandia to a potential heart attack risk.

In addition to focusing on how GSK and the FDA handled the drug, the hearing will focus on whether Dr. Buse was intimated by GSK to silence his criticism of the drug. A letter to GSK from the Senate Finance Committee said investigators are looking into claims that GSK silenced medical professionals.

In March 2000, Dr. Buse sent a letter to the FDA saying Avandia may raise a patient’s risk of heart attack**. He also said that GSK manipulated the data from clinical trials to overstate the drug’s benefits and understate the drug’s risks.

GSK has not yet issued an Avandia recall.

Sources: Stephanie Saul, “Doctor says drug maker tried to quash his criticism of Avandia,” New York Times, June 2, 2007; Anna Wilde Mathews, “Diabetes expert to testify on Avandia,” New York Times, June 1, 2007.