EFN

Based on recent data that the weight loss medication Meridia causes patients more cardiovascular problems, such as heart attacks and strokes, the European Medicines Agency is advising doctors and pharmacists to stop prescribing and dispensing the popular drug. The U.S. Food and Drug administration reviewed the same data, and is calling for Abbott Laboratories to use a stronger warning label warning consumers of the risk.

The Scout Trial, a six year study involving 10,000 overweight and obese patients who had a history of heart disease and/or diabetes, found that about 11.4% of those who took the drug had a heart attack, stroke or diet from other cardiovascular causes compared to about 10% who took a placebo.

Meridia’s new warning will indicate that patients who have uncontrolled high blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, peripheral vascular disease, or those who have had a personal history of heart attack or stroke, should not use the drug for weight loss.

Meridia, approved in the US in 1997 and sold in Europe under the brand names Reductil and Ectiva, contains an ingredient called sibutramine, which works by increasing activity of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain and causing a feeling of fullness or satiety, thus reducing caloric intake. Meridia is recommended for a maximum of use for two years, however patients who do not lose weight in the first six months are recommended to discontinue using the drug.