Last Friday, the diet drug Meridia was pulled from the shelves in America by its maker, Abbott Laboratories.
Meridia, a prescription drug, was known to cause a higher risk of heart attack and stroke when in trials, but scientists believed this effect might be compensated for by the weight loss benefits. It wasn't.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested Meridia's removal, stating that the increased heart disease and stroke risk wasn't an acceptable price to pay for the "very modest weight loss" that the drug causes.
Since January, Meridia hasn't been sold in Europe. It has now been withdrawn in Canada and Australia, as well as in America.
It's little surprise that despite the risks to dieters, Abbott were reluctant to withdraw Meridia from sale. Diet pills can be hugely profitable for drug companies:
So far this year, the pill [Meridia] had $80 million in sales worldwide, including $20 million in the U.S. Source
However, after a number of health scares related to diet drugs, perhaps dieters will turn back to tried-and-tested methods of safe weight loss: a healthy diet, combined with exercise.
Both aren't just good for losing weight, they're also great for a healthy heart.
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