Why has a petition been filed to the FDA to ban Meridia weight loss pill?
Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen submitted a petition to the FDA on March 19, 2002. The request comes after the 29 deaths and hundreds of serious Meridia side effects that have been reported which have led Public Citizen to find the risks of Meridia weight loss pill to outweigh the benefits. The FDA first approved Meridia despite their advisory board voting against it. Public Citizen also thinks that the FDA must raise the standard for approval of diet drugs and require drug makers to show an actual health benefit instead of relying on short-term studies.
