Banned anti-obesity pill readily available……..Risha Chitlangia
Sibutramine Ups Risk Of Heart Disease & Strokes
Sibutramine Ups Risk Of Heart Disease & Strokes
New Delhi: The fastest selling anti-obesity pill,sibutramine,has been banned in India.Manufacturers of the drug have been asked to withdraw it from the market.While the decision was taken after a global survey associated the drug with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and strokes,most chemists in the city are unaware about the ban and are still selling the drug.
The drug has been banned by all the European countries,along with US,Canada,New Zealand,Taiwan and China.In its last meeting,the Indian Pharmacovigilance Committee,which was constituted by the Drug Controller General of India (DGCI),recommended that the drug be immediately banned. There is a need to evaluate the benefit-risk ratio.Since it is not a life-saving drug,it can be banned.
In the presence of several other effective and safer methods of weight loss,the risk posed by this drug cannot be ignored for its benefits, said Dr Y K Gupta,head of the department,pharmacology,AIIMS,New Delhi,whos a member of Indian Pharmaco Vigilance Committee.
Introduced in India in 1999,sibutramine manufactured by several Indian and foreign pharmaceuticalsdid brisk business till January this year when European Medicine Agency (EMA) and other countries called for a complete withdrawal from the market. Since January,its sales have gone down.It is widely prescribed by doctors.It is one of the fastest selling anti-obesity pill in the city, said Rippon Nath,owner of Nath Brothers chemist store in Delhi.
The drug was withdrawn in the international market as studies suggested that sibutramine increases the risk of heart attacks,strokes and death in patients who consume it to shed excess flab.Experts say there is no doubt about its efficacy,but health risks are a serious concern.
It is very effective in reducing weight.But we have to see the side effects.Several trials have indicated that it results in increased heart problems.One of the biggest trials on the drug in Europe showed that sibutramine increased the risk of heart problems by 16%, said Dr Anoop Misra,director and head of the department diabetes and metabolic diseases,Fortis healthcare.
According to sources in the ministry,A notification has been issued by DGCI.In a months time the drug should be out of the market.
* QUICK FIX: Sibutramine became popular as it provided fast results