Drug and medical-device maker Abbott Laboratories announced Friday that it will voluntarily withdraw its controversial obesity drug Meridia, (sibutramine) from the U.S. market at the request of the FDA, due to concerns it increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
It's a busy day at the FDA today as panels meet to discuss two new drugs -- one to help weight loss and the other to combat drug addiction -- and decide whether to approve AstraZeneca's new blood thinner medication.
The New England Journal of Medicine called Meridia "another flawed diet pill" -- two weeks before government advisers are scheduled to review the drug -- after a study finds it raises the risk of heart attack and stroke in users with heart problems.


