Sibutramine
| Sibutramine (top), (S)-(−)-sibutramine (bottom) | |
| Clinical data | |
|---|---|
| Trade names | Meridia, others | 
| Other names | BTS-54524 | 
| AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph | 
| MedlinePlus | a601110 | 
| Pregnancy category | 
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| Routes of administration | By mouth | 
| Drug class | Serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor; Anoretic | 
| ATC code | |
| Legal status | |
| Legal status | 
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| Pharmacokinetic data | |
| Bioavailability | Absorption 77%, considerable first-pass metabolism | 
| Protein binding | 97%, (94% for its desmethyl metabolites, M1 & M2) | 
| Metabolism | Hepatic (CYP3A4-mediated) | 
| Elimination half-life | 1 hour (sibutramine), 14 hours (M1) & 16 hours (M2) | 
| Excretion | Urine (77%), feces (8%) | 
| Identifiers | |
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| CAS Number | 
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| PubChem CID | |
| IUPHAR/BPS | |
| DrugBank | |
| ChemSpider | |
| UNII | |
| KEGG | |
| ChEMBL | |
| CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.130.097 | 
| Chemical and physical data | |
| Formula | C17H26ClN | 
| Molar mass | 279.85 g·mol−1 | 
| 3D model (JSmol) | |
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Sibutramine, formerly sold under the brand name Meridia among others, is an appetite suppressant which has been discontinued in many countries. It works as a serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) similar to certain antidepressants. Until 2010, it was widely marketed and prescribed as an adjunct in the treatment of obesity along with diet and exercise. It has been associated with increased cardiovascular diseases and strokes and has been withdrawn from the market in 2010 in several countries and regions including Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It was never approved in Japan. However, the drug remains available in some countries.
Sibutramine was originally developed in 1988 by Boots in Nottingham, UK, and manufactured and marketed by Abbott Laboratories and sold under a variety of brand names including Reductil, Meridia, Siredia, and Sibutrex before its withdrawal 2010 from most markets. It was classified as a Schedule IV controlled substance in the United States.
As of 2018, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still found sibutramine in over 700 diet supplements marketed as "natural", "traditional", or "herbal remedies".