Living legend Dr. Steve Nissen wants the FDA to pay more attention to the cardiovascular risks of diabetes drugs in the future:

ORLANDO — Should new diabetes drugs submitted to the FDA have a higher bar for cardiovascular safety than other drugs was the focus of a debate here between Steve E. Nissen, MD, and David G. Orloff, MD.

“Drugs that lower blood sugar can make CV disease worse or they can make it better, and we ought to know which it is before we treat our patients,” Nissen, chairman of the department of CV medicine at Cleveland Clinic, said at the debate. “Clinical outcome trials comparing alternative diabetes therapies are essential to determine the optimal approach to prevent CV morbidity and mortality.”

Source: CV safety in diabetes treatments debated | Resource Center: Type 2 Diabetes

Dr. Nissen was one of the first doctors to link Vioxx to heart attacks and strokes, and also one of the first doctors to link Avandia to heart attacks and strokes.  If I had my way, this guy would have a ton of authority at the FDA.