FDA Denies Bid to Ban Weight-Loss Drug

August 18, 2005

(Moderator's Note: This drug is known to cause irreversible heart

damage. There is a major coverup going on, however these are the

undisputed, irrevocable facts!)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has denied a consumer group's

request to ban the Abbott Laboratories weight-loss drug Meridia

(sibutramine), the Chicago Tribune reported.

Despite studies that have shown that the drug elevates blood

pressure in some patients, the FDA found that Meridia's benefits

continued to outweigh its risks, the newspaper reported.

In lieu of the decision, the drug's maker pointed out that the

medicine's risks are clearly spelled out on FDA-required labeling.

Nonetheless, the consumer group Public Citizen, which three years

ago filed a complaint with the FDA that Meridia had contributed to

dozens of deaths since its approval in 1997, condemned the agency's

decision to allow the drug to stay on the market.

" Once again, the FDA is siding with a large drug company, " Public

Citizen Director Dr. Sidney Wolfe said in a statement. " How many

more dangerously flawed decisions will the FDA make before the

Congress repeals the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, which brings

the agency ever closer to the companies that give it almost $200

million a year in funding. "

An FDA spokesman said the company has been working with the

drugmaker to improve Meridia's labeling.

In a statement, Abbott said Meridia had been proven safe and

effective " for people who need to lose 30 pounds or more depending

on height and " when combined with diet and exercise, " the Tribune

reported.

Last fall during hearings into the possible dangers of some pain

drugs, FDA safety officer Dr. David Graham listed Meridia among five

potentially dangerous drugs that the agency needed to review, the

newspaper said.

_________________

JoAnn Guest

mrsjoguest

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