The death totals have ranged far higher with other drugs. Senior FDA officials were not available for comment. The FDA has not disclosed the latest fatalities to physicians or the public. They are documented in medical reports obtained by The Times through the Freedom of Information Act. The reports, often filed by health care professionals, note that patients died after taking Rezulin.
Records show that doctors continue to prescribe the drug to new patients.
During the week ending Nov. 5 alone, more than 24,000 new Rezulin prescriptions were written, according to data collected by IMS Health, a health care information company. For decades, the agency enjoyed a worldwide reputation as a rigorous regulator of the pharmaceutical industry, although it sometimes was criticized for acting too slowly. The deaths of Rezulin patients have persisted despite four FDA-sanctioned changes in the recommended use of the drug. The FDA announced a reassessment of Rezulin in January, prompted by a Times investigative series. In June, the FDA advised doctors to no longer prescribe Rezulin as a first choice for patients.