Weight Loss Rx Drug Meridia May Soon Come Off the Market
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The RX drug Meridia, while moderately effective at controlling weight loss, should be taken off the shelves due to serious complications, an article in the New England Journal of Medicine argues. Meridia’s diet drug generic name is sibutramine.
Meridia is an rx drug manufactured by Abbott’s Laboratories, and is designed as a weight loss pill. However, the pill can cause other serious side effects such as elevated risk of heart attack and stroke. The FDA is expected to review the findings later this month and decide whether or not the drug should still be available on the market. Sales of the drug have already been discontinued in Europe.
History of the Meridia Drug
The rx drug was approved 14 years ago, despite side effects such as elevated blood pressure and heart rate. According to a six year study, the average weight loss that patients had achieved on the prescription drug was 9.4 (4.3kg) pounds. Studies of Meridia, led by Abbott Park, tracked more than 9,000 patients with existing heart disease or diabetes to determine if the medication influenced their health. Studies found that 11.4% of users who were prescribed Meridia suffered from a heart attack or stroke, compared with only 10% who were offered a placebo. Patients who already had heart disease were the most susceptible.
Pulling the medication would leave only Xenical as the last approved weight loss prescription pill. Rx drug Meridia yields around $30 million in sales in the U.S. alone, as the hunt for a safe prescription weight loss pill continues.
