Medicine: Drug Trial Abandoned

Alarmed by continuing reports of undesirable side effects from the drug car-butamide, given by mouth for the relief of diabetes (TIME, Oct. 29), Indianapolis' Eli Lilly & Co. asked 2,900 doctors who have been testing it on 10,000 patients to abandon the trial. Most disturbing was a report that—at least in animals—car-butamide can cause liver damage which might be worse than the diabetes it is meant to control. Lilly was already experimenting with other promising drugs.

Kalamazoo's Upjohn Co. was quick to announce that tests with its antidiabetes drug, tolbutamide (Orinase) continued encouraging, with...

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