MHRA suspends the licence of popular obesity drug Reductil

With the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)‘s recent decision to suspend the licence of the popular obesity drug Reductil, due to concerns that it leads to an increase in heart attacks and stroke risks, tens of thousands of Britons have been advised to discontinue the use of the fat-busting drug.

MHRA’s announcement of suspension of Reductil’s licence comes after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) assessed the drug and recommended the suspension of its licence in Europe. The EMA found that worldwide tests of 10,000 patients showed a 16 percent increased risk of heart attack and stroke, over a six-year period.

The drug, which was taken by nearly 86,000 Britons in 2009, alters the brain’s chemical messages that control a person’s craving for food.

Most safety experts opine that though Reductil threatens the health of the obese, its side-effects are mostly not fatal. Dr June Raine, of the MHRA, said: “Evidence suggests that there is an increased risk of non-fatal heart attacks and strokes with this medicine that outweigh the benefits of weight loss, which is modest and may not be sustained in the long term after stopping treatment.”

Though the Reductil licence suspension decision by the UK regulator still requires a formal sanction by the European Commission, the doctors in UK have been asked to stop prescribing the drug and review its use in patients who are already taking it.

topnews.com.sg