Weight-loss medicine banned in US and in Europe, Approved in Brazil

Weight-loss medicine banned in US and in Europe, Approved in Brazil

Sibutramine, a medicine for anti-obesity, has been approved Tuesday in Brazil despite being banned in the United States and in Europe. An agency, National Health Surveillance (Anvisa), announced it would ban the selling of amphetamine based weight-loss medications in Brazil but would certainly allow the selling and use of sibutramine based anti-obesity medicines under heightened and strict surveillance.

Dirceu Barbano, director of Anvisa, said that sibutramine weight-loss medicine will only be allowed to patients if and only they have no cardiovascular problems.  Agenor Alvares, former health minister and currently one of Anvisa’s board members, has opposed Barbano’s statement. Alvares said that if many countries have banned the selling and use of sibutramine after careful and thorough scientific studies, then there is no reason we ignore their actions. Brazil just cannot ignore scientific evidence used by other countries to decide in banning sibutramine.

Regulators in Brazil had proposed last February the withdrawal and eventual banning of weight-loss medicine sibutramine in the country after the United States and Europe had decided to ban sibutramine. In the United States, the medicine was sold under a more common and popular name, Meridia, but was withdrawn in the U.S. market starting October of last year after Medicine Agencies in Europe suspended and totally banned sibutramine in January of the same year. To lessen increasing concern regarding the medicine, Barbano said health risks connected to its use can be minimized and studies proved sibutramine’s significant help in weight loss.

Posted by George Daniels on Thursday October 06 2011, 7:23 AM EST. Ref: Google. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0