US FDA orders new warnings on prostate cancer drugs

Certain hormone treatments for prostate cancer must carry new warnings about an increased risk of diabetes and heart problems, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday.

The medications include Abbott Laboratories Inc’s Lupron, AstraZeneca Plc’s Zoladex, Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc’s Trelstar, and Sanofi-Aventis SA’s Eligard.

The drugs are gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists used to suppress the production of testosterone, a hormone that helps fuel growth of prostate cancer. The treatment is known as androgen deprivation therapy.

The FDA said the risk of diabetes and heart disease in men treated with the drugs appeared to be low, but that patients should be regularly monitored for increased blood sugar or possible signs of heart damage.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -