AVANDARYL (rosiglitazone maleate and glimepiride) tablets contain 2 oral antidiabetic drugs used in the management of type 2 diabetes: Rosiglitazone maleate and glimepiride. Rosiglitazone maleate is an oral antidiabetic agent of the thiazolidinedione class which acts primarily by increasing insulin sensitivity. Rosiglitazone maleate is not chemically or functionally related to the sulfonylureas (e.g Glyburide), the biguanides (Metformin), or the alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (Acarbose-Precose). Glimepiride is an oral antidiabetic drug of the sulfonylurea class. AVANDARYL is available for oral administration as tablets containing a fixed dose of 4 mg rosiglitazone with variable doses of glimepiride (1, 2, or 4 mg) in a single tablet formulation: 4 mg rosiglitazone with 1 mg glimepiride (4 mg/1 mg), 4 mg rosiglitazone with 2 mg glimepiride (4 mg/2 mg), and 4 mg rosiglitazone with 4 mg glimepiride (4 mg/4 mg). AVANDARYL combines 2 antidiabetic agents with complementary mechanisms of action to improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: Rosiglitazone maleate, a member of the thiazolidinedione class, and glimepiride, a member of the sulfonylurea class. Thiazolidinediones are insulin-sensitizing agents that act primarily by enhancing peripheral glucose utilization, whereas sulfonylureas act primarily by stimulating release of insulin from functioning pancreatic beta cells. Rosiglitazone improves glycemic control by improving insulin sensitivity. Rosiglitazone is a highly selective and potent agonist for the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ). In humans, PPAR receptors are found in key target tissues for insulin action such as adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and liver. Activation of PPARγ nuclear receptors regulates the transcription of insulin-responsive genes involved in the control of glucose production, transport, and utilization. In addition, PPARγ-responsive genes also participate in the regulation of fatty acid metabolism. Insulin resistance is a common feature characterizing the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. The antidiabetic activity of rosiglitazone has been demonstrated in animal models of type 2 diabetes in which hyperglycemia and/or impaired glucose tolerance is a consequence of insulin resistance in target tissues.

Avandaryl Side Effects:

SPECIAL WARNING ON INCREASED RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR MORTALITY The administration of oral hypoglycemic drugs has been reported to be associated with increased cardiovascular mortality as compared to treatment with diet alone or diet plus insulin. This warning is based on the study conducted by the University Group Diabetes Program (UGDP), a long-term, prospective clinical trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of glucose-lowering drugs in preventing or delaying vascular complications in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes. The study involved 823 patients who were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups (Diabetes 1970;19[Suppl. 2]:747-830). UGDP reported that patients treated for 5 to 8 years with diet plus a fixed dose of tolbutamide (1.5 grams per day) had a rate of cardiovascular mortality approximately 2 times that of patients treated with diet alone. A significant increase in total mortality was not observed, but the use of tolbutamide was discontinued based on the increase in cardiovascular mortality, thus limiting the opportunity for the study to show an increase in overall mortality. Despite controversy regarding the interpretation of these results, the findings of the UGDP study provide an adequate basis for this warning. The patient should be informed of the potential risks and advantages of glimepiride-containing tablets and of alternative modes of therapy. Although only one drug in the sulfonylurea class (tolbutamide) was included in this study, it is prudent from a safety standpoint to consider that this warning may also apply to other oral hypoglycemic drugs in this class, in view of their close similarities in mode of action and chemical structure. Rosiglitazone: Cardiac Failure and Other Cardiac Effects: Rosiglitazone, like other thiazolidinediones, alone or in combination with other antidiabetic agents, can cause fluid retention, which may exacerbate or lead to heart failure. All patients, particularly those receiving rosiglitazone concurrent with sulfonylurea or insulin therapy, those at risk for heart failure, and those with mild to moderate heart failure (New York Heart Association Class 1 or 2), should be monitored for signs and symptoms relating to fluid retention, including heart failure. In combination with insulin, thiazolidinediones may also increase the risk of other cardiovascular adverse events. Rosiglitazone should be discontinued if any deterioration in cardiac status occurs. General: Due to the mechanisms of action, rosiglitazone and glimepiride are active only in the presence of endogenous insulin. Therefore, AVANDARYL should not be used in patients with type 1 diabetes or for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis. Hypoglycemia: AVANDARYL is a combination tablet containing rosiglitazone and glimepiride, a sulfonylurea. All sulfonylurea drugs are capable of producing severe hypoglycemia. Proper patient selection, dosage, and instructions are important to avoid hypoglycemic episodes. Elderly patients are particularly susceptible to hypoglycemic action of glucose lowering drugs. Debilitated or malnourished patients, and those with adrenal, pituitary, renal, or hepatic insufficiency are particularly susceptible to the hypoglycemic action of glucose-lowering drugs. A starting dose of 1 mg glimepiride, as contained in AVANDARYL 4 mg/1 mg, followed by appropriate dose titration is recommended in these patients. Hypoglycemia may be difficult to recognize in the elderly and in people who are taking beta-adrenergic blocking drugs or other sympatholytic agents. Hypoglycemia is more likely to occur when caloric intake is deficient, after severe or prolonged exercise, when alcohol is ingested, or when more than one glucose-lowering drug is used. Patients receiving rosiglitazone in combination with a sulfonylurea may be at risk for hypoglycemia, and a reduction in the dose of the sulfonylurea may be necessary. Loss of Control of Blood Glucose: When a patient stabilized on any antidiabetic regimen is exposed to stress such as fever, trauma, infection, or surgery, a temporary loss of glycemic control may occur. At such times, it may be necessary to withhold AVANDARYL and temporarily administer insulin. AVANDARYL may be reinstituted after the acute episode is resolved. Edema: AVANDARYL should be used with caution in patients with edema. In a clinical study in healthy volunteers who received 8 mg of rosiglitazone once daily for 8 weeks, there was a statistically significant increase in median plasma volume compared to placebo. Since thiazolidinediones, including rosiglitazone, can cause fluid retention, which can exacerbate or lead to congestive heart failure, AVANDARYL should be used with caution in patients at risk for heart failure. Patients should be monitored for signs and symptoms of heart failure. In controlled clinical trials of patients with type 2 diabetes, mild to moderate edema was reported in patients treated with rosiglitazone, and may be dose related. Patients with ongoing edema are more likely to have adverse events associated with edema if started on combination therapy with insulin and rosiglitazone. The use of AVANDARYL in combination with insulin is not recommended. Macular Edema: New onset or worsening (diabetic) macular edema with decreased visual acuity has been reported very rarely in postmarketing experience with rosiglitazone. In some cases, symptoms improved following discontinuation of rosiglitazone. Physicians should consider the possibility of macular edema if a patient reports decreased visual acuity. Weight Gain: Dose-related weight gain was seen with rosiglitazone alone and in combination with other hypoglycemic agents. The mechanism of weight gain is unclear but probably involves a combination of fluid retention and fat accumulation. In postmarketing experience with rosiglitazone alone or in combination with other hypoglycemic agents, there have been rare reports of unusually rapid increases in weight and increases in excess of that generally observed in clinical trials. Patients who experience such increases should be assessed for fluid accumulation and volume-related events such as excessive edema and congestive heart failure.