Weight loss pill Meridia raises the risk of heart attack and stroke

A new study shows that Abbott Laboratories’ weight loss pill Meridia raises the risk of heart attack and stroke in people with heart problems.

The research population was made up of 10,744 obese or overweight individuals, who were 55 years or older with preexisting cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, or both. Through a 6-week, single-blind, lead-in period, all participants received sibutramine and took part in a weight management program. The people that were given Meridia had a 16 percent increased risk of heart problems such as heart attack or stroke compared to those given a placebo, the study showed.

The results of the study were released in January on a government clinical trials website and now in full in the journal, outweigh the modest benefits of the medication, said Dr. Gregory Curfman, the journal’s executive editor and lead author of an editorial that accompanied the study. There was no elevated risk of death, though Meridia patients also saw an increase in blood pressure and heart rate, it said.

The study comes just two weeks before the FDA is to convene an advisory panel of outside experts to discuss the fate of Meridia, which the agency approved in 1997. In January, U.S. drug regulators changed the warnings that the appetite suppressant shouldn’t be used by those with a history of heart trouble.

The research supports longstanding concerns regarding the safety of Meridia in individuals with heart disease and other heart problems, who are already warned against taking the drug.

The findings will be reviewed at a meeting of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration next month, when officials will weigh whether the medication should remain on the market.