Weight loss drug Meridia has been taken off of the market in the U.S. Health authorities in Taiwan have ordered a recall of Meridia and all other weight-loss drugs that contain sibutramine because of increased risks of cardiovascular problems.
Pharmaceutical giant Abbott Laboratories voluntarily agreed to pull the drug after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration review of data that showed a 16 percent increased risk for heart attack, stroke and death among people taking Meridia (sibutramine), compared with those taking a placebo.
The consumer group Public Citizen has been pressuring the FDA to ban Meridia for years. European regulators ordered the drug off the market months ago, but the FDA did not act until clinical trials demonstrated that the drug not only caused a “significantly increased number” of heart attacks and strokes but also didn’t do much to trim excess weight.
MERIDIA (generic name: sibutramine) Introduced in 1998: Supporting Research: Altogether 11 clinical trials have been conducted in which obese and overweight people went on a reduced calorie diet and were randomly assigned to take Meridia or a placebo. The trials lasted for 12 to 52 weeks. After one year, participants taking 10 mg a day of Meridia lost ten pounds, and those taking 15 mg of Meridia lost 14 pounds. The people solely on the reduced calorie diet lost 3 1/2 pounds. Weight was regained after Meridia was discontinued.
How it works: Meridia acts somewhat like an antidepressant. It decreases the appetite by blocking reuptake of nerve transmitters (norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine) in brain synapses.
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