Diet Pharmaceutical Medicine Removed from Market Due to Health Concerns
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The FDA-approved pharmaceutical medicine, Meridia, manufactured by Abbott Laboratories, could soon be pulled off the market amidst reports that patients taking the medication face an increased risk of cardiovascular problems. The drug remains one of several diet pills approved by the FDA to help treat obesity medically, and has been on the market for 13 years.
The FDA announced on Monday that patients taking Meridia are 16% more likely to suffer from major cardiovascular problems, such as heart disease and diabetes. The report forms part of a six-year medical trial study called SCOUT, and followed 10,000 patients who had used the pharmaceutical medicine over during that period. The study originally intended to show how the diet pills actually help to reduce cardiovascular risks, but instead concluded with the opposite.
A Brief History of the Pharmaceutical Medicine Meridia
Meridia was taken off the market in January by European regulators, amidst similar concerns that the Rx drug led to increased risk of heart disease and stroke. The fate of the drug has already been called into question once in the U.S. In December 2009, the consumer advisory group, Public Citizen, called for a ban of the dieting drug. The petition, however, was denied by the FDA.
Worldwide pharmaceutical drug sales are expected to total an estimated $200 million in 2010 for Meridia. Diet pills that are FDA-approved are a promising emerging market the U.S, as a significant portion of Americans are defined as overweight or obese.
The FDA is currently officially debating the fate of the pharmaceutical medicine, but as yet it has not been able to decide whether Meridia should be pulled.
