Diabetes warning to be introduced on statin labelling in the US

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has said they are to introduce new warnings on the labels of statins about their potential for increasing blood sugar levels and also causing some memory loss in patients.
The health regulators have announced that the statins, including Lipitor from Pfizer, Crestor from AstraZenecan, and Zocor from Merck and Co, are to have changes to their safety information to warn patients about the possible dangers. The FDA argued that the new warnings on statins, which are taken to lower the risk of heart attack and heart disease, should not deter patients from taking the drugs.
Amy Ega, deputy director for safety in the Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products at the FDA, reported “The value of statins in preventing heart disease has been clearly established. Their benefit is indisputable, but they need to be taken with care and knowledge of their side effects.”
The FDA are aware of research that found some people who take statins could be at a small increased risk of higher blood sugar levels and of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The new labelling will also now take into account some concerns on cognitive effects from the drugs, such as memory loss and the confusion felt by some patients from the drugs, although the reports have not been overly serious and the problems were prevented through stopping the use of the statin.