On Thursday, the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis halted the sales of their anti-obesity drug called Acomplia throughout Europe, by virtue of health officials’ concerns that the medicine entailed more risks than benefits for those taking it.

Moreover, Sanofi has informed it would stop sales in non-European countries where Acomplia is available on the market, as well.

Back in 2007, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the anti-obesity drug based on manufacturer’s studies that revealed Acomplia increased the risk of the patient developing depression, anxiety and stress disorders.

Nevertheless, the decision to suspend the sales for the drug was prompted by research performed by the European Medicines Agency, which has revealed that overweight or obese people who had been treated with Acomplia were at a double the risk of suffering from psychiatric problems than a group of patients who had been given a placebo instead for their condition.

Sanofi has been supplying Acomplia to 18 member states of the European Union since the year 2006, the company having stated that they would conduct further studies in the matter concerning the drug’s benefits and risks for patients.

Until a re-evaluation is provided to health authorities, the latter have urged doctors to stop prescribing Acomplia to obese or overweight persons. Generally, the drug is used in treating patients who suffer from diabetes and cardiovascular disease and it is recommended in conjunction with diet and exercise.

The drug’s main function is to reduce the patient’s appetite and is usually prescribed to those whose body mass index (BMI) exceeds 30 kg/m² or to people with a greater than 27 kg/m² BMI with associated risk factors, such as type 2 diabetes or dyslipidaemia.