The Trouble With Meridia

It been approved since 1997 and was supposed to be the (yet another) magic bullet to cure obesity, but it looks like the weight loss drug Meridia is more likely to itself disappear, rather than cause the disappearance of unwanted rolls of fat. In September 2010, the American FDA achieved a split 8 to 8 vote on whether Meridia should be allowed to stay on the U.S. market.

Also known as Sibutramine, Meirida has been the subject of major scrutiny in recent months, after a study released in November 2009 revealed that people who used it had an 11% risk of cardiovascular events, compared with a 10% risk for those who took a placebo. As a result of this study (known as the SCOUT trial) the drug has been taken off the market in Europe and the recent FDA vote, although inconclusive, places a big question mark over the drug future, with questions being asked if the relatively modest weight loss results it delivers is worth the potential increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.

In reality, the questions about Meridia are not new; The Public Citizen Health Research Group, first petitioned the FDA to ban the drug in 2002, because of its potential health risks, although other experts claim that the drug is perfectly safe if used under a physician care with regular monitoring of patients pulses and blood pressure.

Meridia popularity has significantly reduced in recent years and plummeted since the release of the Scout trial results in November 2009. As a result, Abbott Laboratories, the company which manufactures Meridia, has pledged to increase warnings and educational efforts for doctors and patients if the drug is allowed to stay on the market.

But what is the big deal about Meridia? Actually not very big really!! Studies show that the average patient who responds to the drug will lose about 4% more body weight than if they didn lose the drug - which is not the greatest benefit when measured against the potential increases in heart rate and blood pressure. About one fifth of patients will lose more, but still not enough to justify the potential health risks. Meridia is already not supposed to be used in patients with known cardiovascular disease. However, many experts point to the potential for serious problems is taken by patients with previously undiagnosed cardiovascular disease.

The FDA own monitoring has in fact linked Meridia usage to 14 deaths, including 10 women (patients who died were, on average, 43 years old). This is just one of the many worrying aspects of Meridia, FDA panel member Lamont G. Weide, MD, PhD (head of endocrinology at Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City, Missouri), summed it up perfectly with the comment have yet to see any of the positive benefit of the weight loss with this drug. sad reality is that these problems are a recurring theme with weight loss drugs, primarily because they often work by targeting neurotransmitters in the brain that regulate appetite. Unfortunately these neurotransmitters also affect a range of other things such as blood pressure, heart function and emotional balance - which is why there is a long history of health problems with weight loss drugs.

All of which leads back to my permanent soap box position, which is that there are no real short cuts to weight loss. It all about making the right lifestyle changes, so that you start to eat properly and exercise more. Why put yourself at risk of ill-health, even death, when the answer to your problems is so simple?