Monday November 23, 2009

The Food and Drug Administration said early results from a new study suggest
patients taking the weight-management drug Meridia are at increased risk of
suffering deadly heart attack, stroke, and cardiac arrest.

The FDA just announced its preliminary findings about an apparent link between
the drug and the cardiovascular events. In the study, researchers found Meridia
users were at greater risk of injury compared to patients taking inactive
placebo pills.

Meridia (known generically as sibutramine hydrochloride) was approved by the
FDA in 1997 for use in treating obese patients. It is a prescription drug used
along with reduced-calorie diets in patients who have a body mass index (BMI)
greater than 30 or a BMI of greater than 27 along with other risk factors, such
as diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure, the FDA said.

Study Finds Increased Risks in Meridia Users
The study, called the Sibutramine Cardiovascular Morbidity/Mortality Outcomes
in Overweight or Obese Subjects at Risk of a Cardiovascular Event (SCOUT),
began in 2002 and included about 10,000 overweight or obese patients age 55 and
older. The study was designed to show that weight loss along with Meridia and
standard care was more effective in reducing the number of cardiovascular
events compared to weight loss from a placebo and standard care.

Full Story
http://www.attorneyatlaw.com/2009/11/weight-loss-drug-meridia-linked-to-reports-of-heart-complications-fda-warns/