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Weight-loss drug pulled from U.S. market
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 25, 2010
Abbott Laboratories withdrew its weight-loss drug Meridia (sibutramine hydrochloride) from the U.S. market on Oct. 8 after a request by the Food and Drug Administration.
The FDA called for the drug's withdrawal after reviewing data from the Sibutramine Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial. The trial found a 16% increased risk of serious cardiovascular events, including nonfatal myocardial infarction and stroke, among users of the medication.
The FDA approved Meridia in November 1997 for weight loss and maintenance of weight loss in the obese and certain overweight people who have other risks for heart disease.
Patients who take Meridia should stop using the drug and talk to their physicians about alternative weight loss and weight-loss maintenance programs, the FDA said.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/10/25/prbf1025.htm.