Washington, Jan 23 (THAINDIAN NEWS) The FDA has issued warnings about the popular diet pill Meridia. It is quite a popular weight-loss drug, and is used by a lot of people who want to lose weight. The FDA said that it is related to the amphetamine family of stimulants, and it significantly increases the chances of having stroke and heart attacks amongst certain users.

The FDA conducted a study on over 10,000 people who were taking the diet pill – Meridia, and they found that some patients showed a higher risk and susceptibility to heart attacks. This is quite a popular diet pill, as it was issued to over 250,000 people last year, just in the United States. It is manufactured by Abbott Laboratories, and FDA has issued an advisory to them as well.

FDA has asked the Abbott Laboratories to put up a warning on the packaging of the diet pills, that people who suffer from hypertension, heart failure, irregular heartbeats and other problems shouldn’t use them. Meanwhile the European authorities have been proactive, and they have already stopped its marketing in the European markets. The European Medicines Agency has asked the doctors and the chemists to strictly stop prescribing this medicine to any patient, as it seems to have more drawbacks rather than benefits.