British Columbia Drug and Poison Information Centre (BC DPIC)

Abbott Laboratories is voluntarily withdrawing the prescription weight-loss drug sibutramine, which is marketed under the brand name Meridia®, from the Canadian market. Abbott's decision, in collaboration with Health Canada, comes in light of data from the Sibutramine Cardiovascular OUTcomes (SCOUT) trial, a large study that suggested an increased risk of serious cardiovascular events associated with sibutramine use in patients with heart problems. The purpose of the study was to determine a link between long-term sibutramine use and the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, or who were at risk of heart-related adverse events. Nearly 10,000 overweight and obese subjects aged 55 years and older were enrolled in the trial for up to six years.