London Evening Standard  15 June 2007 [David Haslam]

A weight loss pill used by thousands of Britons has been branded a suicide risk by drug safety officials.  More than 10,000 Britons are believed to be using the prescription-only drug Acomplia, which can help dieters lose up to ten per cent of their body weight.  Hailed as an important weapon in the war against obesity, it interferes with the part of the brain involved with cravings.

 

But David Haslam said his experience of the drug had been only positive.  “ It is very effective providing it is used carefully in the appropriate patients, which is important for all drugs,' he added.  “ I have not seen any psychiatric side-effects in patients and this U.S. decision will not change my practice.'

On Thursday a committee advising the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted to ban the pill after concerns about its psychiatric side-effects. The 14-member-panel heard testimony that Acomplia increases the risk of suicidal thoughts even in patients without a history of depression.

Its maker, the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis, had failed to demonstrate the drug was safe, the panel concluded.

The European Medicines Agency, which licensed the drug and has the power to order its withdrawal from European shelves, will review the pill's safety at a meeting next week.  Acomplia was launched in Britain last June, at a cost of £55 a month. Since then, there have been 310 adverse reactions, including 152 psychiatric disorders.

Professor Anthony Barnett, professor of medicine at Birmingham University, said warnings about possible psychiatric side-effects are already available on the drug's packets.   He said it is of concern' that U.S. authorities had rejected the drug, but added “ They are being supercautious. I would expect the European agency to look at their decision “.  Professor Barnett said more than 10,000 patients have been prescribed the drug by consultants or GPs since last June.