Diet Drugs FDA: What You Should Know

By: Rob Adams
09/18/2010 11:37 AM ET

Recently, a panel of 16 FDA members voted as to whether some diet drugs, such as Meridia, should stay on the U.S. market or not.

Eight panel members voted for the removal of the drug from the market. However, there has been no action taken on the matter. According to a recent study, people on Meridia have a 16% higher risk of a stroke, heart attack or other cardiac problems.

Eight of the members felt that the drug should be withdrawn from the U.S. market. Six felt that the drug should be prescribed only by “specially trained physicians. The last two remaining panelists felt that a new black box warning should be added to alert doctors to the increased risks of heart attacks and the need for closer monitoring of patients’ blood pressure, pulse and body weight.

None of the members felt comfortable leaving the drug on the market in its current form. Most of the time, the FDA follows the advice of its panels. However, they are by no means required to do so.

“Certainly there was not a lot of enthusiastic support for this drug expressed by the committee members,” stated Dr. Gregory D. Curfman, executive editor of the New England Journal of Medicine. “With eight of 16 recommending withdrawal, it will be difficult to ignore that.”