Healthcare professionals should avoid prescribing Abbott Laboratories’ anti-obesity drug Meridia for patients with a history of cardiovascular events as preliminary data suggest patients taking the drug have a higher number of events including heart attack, stroke and death. According to preliminary results of a six-year study, 11.4 percent of patients taking Meridia (sibutramine) experienced cardiovascular events compared with 10 percent of patients taking a placebo, according to a recent FDA early communication.
Drug Industry Daily