In a statement just released by Health Canada, Abbott Laboratories has announced the voluntary removal of Meridia from the Canadian marketplace.
Meridia was a satiety/fullness enhancer that in concert with organized eating, helped patients to reduce their calories by allowing them to feel fuller faster.
I didn't use Meridia particularly frequently. Of the 3,000 or so patients I've seen, I'm guessing I've tried Meridia out with less than 50 of them, and while it was far from a magic bullet, for some patients it had terrific benefit.
The withdrawal comes on the heels of the SCOUT study which demonstrated an increased risk of serious cardiovascular events associated with Meridia use in patients with heart problems.
Meridia's withdrawal means that in Canada there is now only a single on-label medication for use in the medical management of our number one preventable cause of death and thus far in the States FDA committees have voted against the approval of 2 of the 3 next generation weight loss medications.
Weight loss in a bottle seems a long way away.
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It seemed at one point that the anti-canabinoids held some promise. There was something with a working name called Taranabant that was supposed to be a great appetite suppresant.
ReplyDeleteThe big problem with this family of drugs turned out to be depression, as I understand. You don't feel like eating, but you don't feel much like living either.
Talk about a bad trip, man.
I was on Meridia perscribed by my Dr for 2 yrs ..looked great felt great nothing negative to say about it at all
ReplyDeleteCanada
It helped my mild depression and it was fantastic in suppressing my appetite. The only side effects were dry mouth, which just made me drink lots of water, which is a good thing. And it does give you energy too.
ReplyDeleteFor people without a family history of Heart disease and have good blood pressure and are relatively otherwise healthy, I think it is the Best weight loss aid ever to have hit the market.