Following concerns over the risk of heart disease, Shanghai officials are to closely monitor adverse reactions to an anti-diabetes drug.

In the United States the use of Avandia has already been restricted significantly and the sales are being suspended in Europe.

Cooperation with local health authorities to watch out for any problems in the city would be there by Shanghai's Food and Drug Administration.

The responsibility to collect and report on any cases of adverse reactions in the city has been given to the drug's producer GlaxoSmithKline.

Patients who can not get their diabetes under control and can not tolerate other drugs are allowed to take Avandia and the US FDA restricts the use also to people who are already taking the drug.

The European Medicines Agency last Thursday had recommended that another two GlaxoSmithKline anti-diabetes drugs - Avandamet and Avaglim - with the same ingredient, rosiglitazone along with Avandia should be suspended and in Europe within the next few months, these medicines will be unavailable.

Dr Jia Weiping, director of the Shanghai Diabetes Institute, said, "The moves had aroused the concern of the State Food and Drug Administration, which will meet today to discuss the drug's use and adverse reaction supervision across the country."