Abbott withdraws anti-obesity drug

Abbott withdraws anti-obesity drug

U.S.-based Abbot Laboratories announced on Friday that it is withdrawing its anti-obesity drug Meridia from the U.S. market after European lab tests showed that the drug raised the risk of heart issues.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requested Abbott to pull out the drug from pharmacy shelves, after the regulatory agency received the findings of a European study about the medication’s safety concerns.

Sibutramine, the active ingredient in Abbott’s Meridia drug, is a stimulant that may cause blood pressure to spike and has also been linked to higher incidents of heart attacks and stroke, the FDA said.

The research study revealed a 16 percent rise in the risk of heart problems in people who used Meridia compared to patients who used a placebo. There was only minimal difference in weight loss between the two study groups.

Meridia’s European license has been suspended by European regulators in January.

It is “a modest product that had been expected to sell about 30 million dollars’ worth of product this year” in the United States and $100 million in worldwide sales, according to Abbott spokesman Scott Davies.

Abbott is in discussion with regulators in 40 other countries about Meridia and “anticipates concluding those discussions in the coming days,” said Davies.

The FDA also issued a warning to consumers not to buy and use the weight loss product ‘Slimming Beauty Bitter Orange Slimming Capsules’ which contains “excessive amounts of sibutramine,” according to tests.

“The sample packet label is misleading because it indicates that it is a natural vitamin and capsule for use in children as young as two years old,” the FDA said in its statement.

Posted by George Daniels on Saturday October 09 2010, 8:32 AM EDT. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0