Obese people who took a diet pill to reduce their appetites are in the process of taking legal action because it made them feel suicidal and led to depression.
The drug, Acomplia, was removed by the government off the market two years ago after it was associated with severe psychiatric problems.
One person in the UK is known to have committed suicide after taking it and there has been reports of over a thousand psychiatric side effects related to this diet pill.
Lots of patients who had no prior mental health issues state that they had to leace their jobs as their depression became so debilitating.
The most affected are suing the drug company Sanofi-Aventis for compensation in a joint group action which could set them back £300,000 plus.
Sanofi-Aventis has declined to enter negotiations to settle out of court.
The European Medicines Agency, which licenses the drug for use in the UK, undertook a review of the drug’s side effects in 2008 and concluded that its risks outweigh its benefits. In international clinical trials of the medication five cases of suicide had been recorded.
In January 2009 the drug was withdrawn. It cannot presently be prescribed however, it is available on the internet.
By May 2011, 2,885 reports of adverse reactions to this drug had been received by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency .
Seven patients who had been taking Acomplia have died, one of whom committed suicide.
No evidence has been confirmed relating any of the deaths to the drug.
Bozena Michalowska-Howells, of law firm Leigh Day, which is bringing the legal action against Sanofi-Aventis stated: ‘Our clients have suffered extreme depression which has had a great impact on their families and ability to work.’
