Diet Pill that Has Ended in Death

Five people who were participating in an anti-obesity drug research study have committed suicide after taking the drug.
Sanofi-Aventis suspended its European sales of the drug rimonabant (Acomplia) on 23 October 2008, following a European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommendation.
The EMA highlighted evidence that Acomplia doubles the likelihood of psychiatric disorders, with specific reference to five people who were participants in an extensive research study having committed suicide after taking the drug. On the other hand, one person committed suicide who was taking a placebo, or, dummy drug. Worries about side effects had led the US Food and Drug Administration to refuse approval for rimonabant in 2007.
There is some good news for dieters. Those who weighed more than 100 kgs and took the drug tesofensine, manufactured by NeuroSearch, Copenhagen, Denmark, lost about 13 kgs in 6 months, twice as much weight loss as any other previous diet drug (The Lancet, DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61525-1). This drug makes people feel full in the initial stages of a meal by heightening the pleasurable effects of three neurotransmitters. A request for bigger trials is going to delay its approval,
In the mean time, orlistat, which has been sold over the counter as Alli in the States since February 2007, is likely to be approved for pharmacy-counter sales in Europe, as well.