The head of France’s second largest pharmaceutical company, Servier, has been summoned to court after 2000 deaths have been linked to the company’s Mediator diet pills.
The drug was formally administered for diabetics who were overweight but became a very popular appetite suppressant after time. Jaques Servier launched the drug in the 70s and it was sold to five million people. It was taken off the market in Spain and Italy a decade before it was in France due to concerns over its safety.
The complaint against Servier states that he intentionally misled his customers about the drug including information on the ingredients. France’s health minister has since promised to reform the relationship between France’s drugs regulatory system and the pharmaceutical companies. It is approximated that between 500 and 2,000 people died as a result of the consumption of the drugs active ingredient, benfluorex, which is associated with heart valve damage. Victims are pressing charges against Mr. Servier for manslaughter.