Singing praise to expensive new drugs

Pointed out by Medpundit (with emphasis) :

"...The largest diabetes prevention study ever done has found that a drug already used to treat the disease also can help keep ''pre-diabetics'' from developing it. But many experts say losing weight and exercising remain a safer, cheaper approach.

"...The drug can cause fluid retention, which can lead to heart failure in people with a weak heart

But, by the pharmaceutical companies sponsored the research:

"...The effect was also observed when a more stringent definition of normal fasting glucose concentration was used. In total, 50.5% individuals in the rosiglitazone group and 30.3% in the placebo group became normoglycemic.

MedPundit concluded:

"...Those improvements sound impressive, but they are the same improvements and the same rate of improvement that can be had by diet and lifestyle changes, a fact the authors freely admit in their conclusion. Watching the diet and walking a half hour every day is certainly less expensive than the $175 a month it costs to take Avandia at the 8mg dose in the study. Not to mention, it's healthier, what with the congestive heart failure and all.