Pharmaceutical firms have been ordered to recall slimming capsules, including Meridia, which contain the substance sibutramine, within a month, after reports showed the weight-loss drug increases risks of cardiovascular disease, the Department of Health announced in a statement issued yesterday.
The health department’s announcement came after the US Food and Drug Administration demanded that Abbott Laboratories stop selling its sibutramine-based diet pill Meridia in North America, following the reports.
Sales of the drug have been suspended in the EU. Meridia is used in combination with a reduced calorie diet and exercise to help people lose weight and maintain their weight loss. It is in a class of medications called appetite suppressants.
In addition to the product recall, the authorities in Taiwan have also decided to annul the approval for 15 brands of medications containing sibutramine, starting tomorrow. Besides Meridia, other sibutramine-based medications that have received regulatory approval include: Reductil, Sytramee, Losfat, Moi-Allison, Sibutil, Shapedesign and Controkilo.
Department data show 302 Taiwanese experienced discomfort after taking the medications, of which 115 were proven to be related to cardiovascular disease, but no deaths were reported.
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