Meridia Pulled for 28% but Ibuprofen Stays with 24%

WASHINGTON – Abbott Laboratories said Friday it will withdraw its diet pill Meridia in the U.S. and Canada, after coming under pressure from health regulators who say the drug increases the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients with a history of heart disease by 28%.

Meanwhile, in the biggest study of its kind to date, researchers identified 9,218 patients across England, Scotland and Wales who suffered a heart attack for the first time over a four year period. Patients ranged in age from 25 to 100. Researchers found that for those prescribed NSAIDS in the three months just before the heart attack, the risk increased compared with those who had not taken these drugs in the previous three years. For ibuprofen, the risk increased by almost a quarter (24%).but it is still on the market. Seems the "health regulators" don't want you to have a heart attack from taking Meridia, they would prefer that you have one from taking Ibuprofen. Ibuprofen Increases Heart Attack Risk by 24% I'm not sure of the margin of error in these studies, but is a 4% difference really that much?

Related Post From June


ibuprofen linked to a 24% higher risk of heart attack
Study: 'Traditional' Painkillers May Carry Small but Serious Risk
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News
June 9, 2005 -- Ibuprofen, naproxen, and similar pain relievers raise a person's risk of heart attack, a new study suggests.
Ibuprofen and naproxen - traditional anti-inflammatory pain relievers -- have been considered more heart friendly than the new Cox-2 type of pain drugs. Two of the Cox-2 drugs, Vioxx and Bextra, have been pulled from the market Vioxx and Bextra, have been pulled from the market because they increase a person's risk of heart attack.
The new study, led by Julia Hippisley-Cox, MD, MRCP, of the University of Nottingham, England, did show that Vioxx increased the risk of heart attack by 32% when taken in the previous three months. But it also linked ibuprofen -- brand names include Advil and Motrin -- to a 24% higher risk of heart attack compared with people who had not taken any anti-inflammatory in the last three years.
Diclofenac (brand names including Arthrotec, Cataflam, and Voltaren) increased heart attack risk by 55%. Naproxen (brand names include Aleve) was also linked to a higher heart attack risk, although the finding was not as strong.http://arthritis.webmd.com/news/20050609/like-vioxx-ibuprofen-may-up-heart-attack-risk
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I saw this mentioned briefly on the evening news. Can you imagine the media storm there would be if an herbal substance increased your odds of having a heart attack by 24%? It would be big news and there would be demands that the substance be banned. I'm just saying...this story was kind of, if not swept under the rug, then at least quietly swept into a corner.
Posted by texlahoma at 8:23 PM 1 comments Links to this post
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