Personal Injury Law

Danger Warning For Weight Loss Drugs

Our Georgia attorneys frequently receive calls about dangerous drugs which seem to be routinely marketed to unsuspecting consumers and health care professionals. Recently, weight-loss drugs made by mega-manufacturers GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Roche Holding AG were linked to at least 32 reports of serious liver injury from 1999 to October 2008.

The Food and Drug Administration has posted a notice on its web site advising consumers taking Glaxo?s over-the-counter drug Alli or Roche?s prescription Xenical to consult a doctor if they experience weakness, fever, jaundice or other symptoms of liver injury. The FDA did not recommend that patients or doctors stop using these medicines.

Both medicines contain orlistat, a chemical that blocks the intestines from absorbing fat when taken as many as three times a day with meals. The FDA approved Xenical in 1999 for weight loss and weight management in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet. Alli, half the dose of Xenical, was cleared for non- prescription use in 2007.

Thirty of the 32 reports reviewed by FDA occurred outside the U.S., according to the notice. Six of the cases involved liver failure.

Full post as published by Georgia Injury Lawyer Blog on August 25, 2009 (boomark / email).