Abbott Laboratories, Meridia diet drug from the shelves of pharmacies in the United States and drew asked to stop the hospital after regulators questioned its safety.

The resignation is the last Friday of the efforts to address the growing problem of obesity to deal with drugs battle. In January, suspended sales in Europe and Meridia. Last month a study in the New England Journal of Medicine show that using Meridia had higher risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Food and Drug Administration said in a statement that withdrawal of Meridia because of the weight very modest “does not justify taking the medication, the risk of heart attack or stroke called.

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Abbott acted reluctantly. In a statement, the company said the FDA fulfilled the request, but still believed that the benefit was approved by the risks of Meridia patients exceeded. The company also said that many studies, except study published in NEJM viewers to find no increased risk for heart.

In 46 clinical studies and 6 million patient-years of use was approved Meridia, the company has not seen “the increased risk of heart disease research found viewers were registered with additional patients over the guard sport tag medication is not Abbott received spokeswoman. The company has not in all cases in the United States faces, “he said.

According to the FDA, leaving only the withdrawal of a prescription weight loss drug for long-term use is approved: Roche Holding AG Xenical. Over-the-counter version called Alli by GlaxoSmithKline PLC is available.

Targeting obesity pills have heavy fall in the market as all get approval. Regulators expressed concern about the side effects of obesity, especially because millions of people, the pills for an indefinite period.

A number of drugs continue to lose weight in 13 some years ago when the two drugs in combination overall diet Fen-Phen was known heart valve damage and a rare lung disease associated, but deadly. Large pharmaceutical company Merck & Co and Pfizer Inc. stopped research programs, Sanofi-Aventis SA USA dropped its request for approval of Acomplia obesity pill after it was linked to depression.

In recent weeks a group of consultants recommended FDA approval of two experimental drugs for weight loss, lorcaserin of Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. Vivus Inc. Qnexa third candidate, the violation of orexigenic Therapeutics Inc, was invited in December to consider an advisory capacity.

Meridia was approved in 1997, but its use has decreased since 2002 in the light of security concerns. In recent years, Abbott was stopped funding requirements within the United States last year to 250,000 from 1.3 million in 1998, said the FDA.

to prevent label Meridia revised January for use by people with heart problems and high blood pressure. Last month, a panel of the FDA Division, Meridia should remain on the market.

So far this year were $ 80 million pill sales worldwide, including U.S. $ 20,000,000

Abbott said that Meridia withdrawn in Australia and Canada. It is approved in 40 countries, mainly sold in Asia and Latin America, but the company is to discuss the future of the drug with regulatory authorities in these countries.