Élysée Palace – Tuesday 7 July 2009

{http://www.college-servier.com/2010/05/speech-by-the-president-of-the-french-republic/}

Mediator was first developed in 1976 to reduce fat levels in the blood

France is gearing up for a report on one of the country’s biggest medical scandals of recent years. French health experts now believe that the drug known as Mediator, developed for treating overweight diabetics, could have killed between 500 and 2,000 people before it was finally banned.

Mediator stayed on the market despite a succession of warnings over its side-effects, which include heart valve disease and pulmonary hypertension.

It was also hugely misprescribed, with doctors routinely handing out Mediator as an appetite-suppressant for people with common or garden weight problems.

Last week a judicial investigation was launched to establish any criminal responsibility in the affair. Scores of victims have filed suit, and on Saturday the government’s Social Affairs Inspectorate will deliver its findings about what went wrong.

The questions that need answering are many.

Why did it take so long for France’s regulatory agencies to respond to the warning signs over Mediator?
What was the role of the drug’s manufacturer, the French pharmaceutical company Servier, whose 88-year-old boss Jacques Servier has close links to politicians including President Nicolas Sarkozy?
Is there a proper separation of powers between the different groups of people who develop, test, authorise, market and monitor new drugs? Or do conflicts of interest prevent objectivity?
How many other drugs are there being prescribed, with little benefit and some potential danger to users? And how much money are these treatments draining from the already hard-pressed health budget?
/….

11 January 2011
Hugh Schofield
BBC News, Paris
{http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12155639}

I think the Sarkozy connection is of interest.