Reductil

Reductil (sibutramine), the prescription only weight loss drug has had its license withdrawn by European regulatory authorities. The EMA announced on 21 January that after years of research the drug was considered to present more risk than benefit to some users. As a consequence patients currently being treated by their doctors with Reductil will no longer be able to renew their prescription.

Reductil was launched in 2003 by Abbott Ltd. It helps people lose weight by acting in the brain to increase their level of satiety, making them feel fuller after eating and so reducing total calorific intake. There had long been concerns that its common side effects of raised blood pressure and fast pulse could make users more vulnerable to heart attacks and strokes. The recently published results of the SCOUT study, a 5 year multinational clinical trial, in the opinion of the EMA, appears to show that it does. Consequently it has been withdrawn with immediate effect.

This news will come as a disappointment to many users across Europe. I have used Reductil since 2003 with some of my patients, often with good results. Weight loss drugs don’t cause weight loss, but they can support weight loss programmes through making it easier to effect lifestyle change through a variety of means. The only prescription drug now available for doctors and patients is Orlistat, the gastric lipase inhibitor, also available over the counter as Alli.

However my opinion remains the same as always. The only safe, effective way of losing weight and keeping it off long term is to adopt a healthy, controlled diet, and to incorporate increased physical activity into our daily lives. All the evidence shows that the most successful long term weight loss patients have managed to initiate this, often with specialised support, and maintain it for many years to come.

Dr Ian W Campbell