Beijing, Jan 09: China's top food and drug regulator has ordered a halt to the sale and production of the weight-loss drug fenfluramine hydrochloride, citing its harmful side effects.
Fenfluramine hydrochloride is one of the main ingredients
in the obesity drug fen-phen, which was banned in the United
States in 1997 after being linked to heart disease and lung
problems.
The State Food and Drug Administration posted the recall
announcement on its Web site today, saying research showed the
diet drug can cause heart disease, pulmonary hypertension and
a host of other problems.
A comprehensive evaluation of the drug by the agency
showed "this kind of drug's risks outweigh the benefits."
"It is decided that the production, sale and use of the
substance will be stopped," the agency said. It ordered drugs
already on the market to be pulled off retailers' shelves,
destroyed and dealt with by local authorities.
The drug, which suppresses appetite by altering the
levels of serotonin in the brain, is marketed over the counter
as Pondimin, bedrex or Pomleral.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, January 09, 2009, 00:00