A French law court will today rule in a very very controversial case against Servier pharmaceuticals whose weight-loss drugs is responsible for the death of 500 French Citizens.
The drugs Mediator, poised as a weight loss drug did not fully inform its users of the adverse effect it could have on the heart. 6500 plaintiffs have now sued the company for damages to the tune of $1.2 billion.
Investigators claimed that the drugmaker knowingly concealed the risk posed by Mediator for over a decade since the first concerns about it were raised. This could see the company paying up to €10 million if found guilty.
The drug was initially meant for overweight people who suffered diabetes but was later on touted to healthy individuals as a weight suppressant.
Many if those who consistently took the drugs now have some form of heart diseases. While 500 have died, experts claim 2100 could lose their lives still.
According to Servier, thousands of victims have reached a $236 million settlement with the company