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Life

The yo-yo world of diet drugs

29 October 2008

IN THE world of diet pills, last week was a roller coaster.

On 23 October, Sanofi-Aventis suspended European sales of its anti-obesity drug rimonabant (Acomplia), following a . The EMA pointed to evidence that the drug doubles the risk of psychiatric disorders and that five people in a large study committed suicide after taking it, compared to just one in a group taking a dummy drug. Concerns over side effects led the US Food and Drug Administration to refuse approval for rimonabant last year.

But it’s not all bad news for dieters. People weighing more than 100 kilograms who took…

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