The Servier scandal emerged in 2007 over concerns about cardiovascular risks associated with Mediator, a drug initially intended for overweight people with diabetes but also widely prescribed as an appetite suppressant. Believed to be responsible for up to 1,800 deaths, and possibly more, the drug was eventually banned in France and several other countries.
Despite repeated warnings dating back as early as 1998, successive French health ministers had essentially ignored scientific advice that Mediator was at best useless, and at worst highly dangerous. The latest appeals court ruling follows more than a decade of legal proceedings and awards a significant increase in damages compared to a previous ruling in 2021.
Behind the scenes, Servier has long been known for its cult of secrecy and close relations with pharma-friendly French politicians. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy previously worked for the company as a lawyer, for example. Later, after leaving Servier and while serving as French Finance Minister, Sarkozy famously brokered the merger between French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi and Swiss/German drug giant Aventis/Hoechst.
To learn how diabetes can be prevented and controlled naturally using Dr. Rath’s Cellular Medicine approach, see this article on our website.
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January 11, 2024French Pharma Firm Ordered to Pay Millions Over Deadly Diabetes Drug
News
A French appeals court has ordered pharmaceutical firm Servier to pay more than $460 million in damages over a scandal involving a diabetes drug linked to hundreds of deaths.
[Source: medicalxpress.com]
[Image source: Adobe Stock]
Comment
The Servier scandal emerged in 2007 over concerns about cardiovascular risks associated with Mediator, a drug initially intended for overweight people with diabetes but also widely prescribed as an appetite suppressant. Believed to be responsible for up to 1,800 deaths, and possibly more, the drug was eventually banned in France and several other countries.
Despite repeated warnings dating back as early as 1998, successive French health ministers had essentially ignored scientific advice that Mediator was at best useless, and at worst highly dangerous. The latest appeals court ruling follows more than a decade of legal proceedings and awards a significant increase in damages compared to a previous ruling in 2021.
Behind the scenes, Servier has long been known for its cult of secrecy and close relations with pharma-friendly French politicians. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy previously worked for the company as a lawyer, for example. Later, after leaving Servier and while serving as French Finance Minister, Sarkozy famously brokered the merger between French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi and Swiss/German drug giant Aventis/Hoechst.
To learn how diabetes can be prevented and controlled naturally using Dr. Rath’s Cellular Medicine approach, see this article on our website.
Dr. Rath Health Foundation
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