Abbott Labs recalls diet drug Meridia due to heart attack risk, ineffectiveness

Abbott Laboratories agreed to withdraw diet drug Meridia, after clinical trial data concluded that the drug increased the risk of heart attack and stroke and did little to help people lose weight. The Food and Drug Administration announced the recall of Meridia, which has become a highly-popular weight loss drug second only to Alli, earlier today.

"Meridia's continued availability is not justified when you compare the very modest weight loss that people achieve on this drug to their risk of heart attack or stroke," said John Jenkins, director of the Office of New Drugs in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in a statement. "Physicians are advised to stop prescribing Meridia to their patients, pharmacists are advised to stop dispensing [it] and patients should stop taking this medication and dispose of any remaining products."