FDA mulls pulling diet pill linked to heart attack

WASHINGTON (AP) — Almost a year after studies showed the diet pill Meridia increases heart attack and stroke risk, U.S. health regulators announced they will consider pulling the Abbott Laboratories' drug off the market.

Meridia has been sold since 1997, but data released in November showed patients with heart disease taking the drug had a more than 11 percent risk of cardiovascular risks compared with 10 percent of those taking a placebo. European regulators pulled the product off the market in January.

The FDA said today, however, that it is considering a range of options for the drug, including simply adding more warning labels.

A 170-page FDA review posted online contains analyses by half a dozen agency scientists, at least two of whom seem to favor withdrawing the drug.