Public Citizen, which is a consumer watchdog organization, has filed a petition with the FDA to ban the weight-loss drugs Xenical and Alli. The group is arguing that the weight-loss drugs might cause harm to the kidney and to the liver. As a Pembroke Pines Products Liability Attorney, it will be interesting to see whether the FDA decides to remove the products from shelves nationwide. A few days ago, on April 14th, Public Citizen sent its Xenical and Alli recall petition to the FDA. Public Citizen believes that the harmful side effects of active ingredient in the drugs, which is called orlistat, far outweigh the potential benefits.
Just a few days prior to the petition, there was a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in which 2% of Xenical users were hospitalized for kidney problems after they began taking Xenical. From a Pembroke Pines Products Liability Lawyer’s perspective, it is also very interesting to read that Public Citizen searched the FDA’s database and found that the weight-loss drugs in question are linked to at least 47 cases of acute pancreatitis and 73 cases of kidney stones. These are alarming numbers since the conditions associated with the drugs are so serious.
Furthermore, in May of last year, the FDA reported that they had received 13 reports of severe livery injury from people who had taken Xenical or Alli. Unfortunately, two of those people died and three others needed liver transplants. As a Pembroke Pines Personal Injury Attorney, these reports are obviously very scary and I sympathize with the families who were affected by the side effects of the previously mentioned weight-loss drugs. I will follow this petition and see if the FDA decides to remove Xenical and Alli from the marketplace.
