Trial Begins for Drug Maker Linked to Hundreds of Deaths

The trial of French drug maker Servier Laboratories and its founder, Jacques Servier, started this week, the Washington Post reported via Associated Press. Servier and his company face charges of “aggravated deception” over sales of the drug Mediator, which was used to treat weight problems among diabetics.

As quoted in the market news:

The European Medicines Agency pulled Mediator from shelves when it found that its active ingredient, benfluorex, could lead to a dangerous thickening of heart valves.

French health officials have said the drug may be linked 500 deaths; other studies have put the figure several times higher. Others who took the drug have suffered health problems.

Click here for the full Associated Press report