Drugs laws tightened in wake of Servier controversy

The French parliament has passed a law introducing stricter pharmaceutical industry regulations in the wake of a controversy involving a diabetes drug, Mediator.

The pharmaceutical firm Servier’s drug was alleged to have caused hundreds of deaths when used off-label as a weight-loss treatment. The controversy raised questions about whether conflicts of interest and Servier’s political influence had allowed the drug to stay on the market even after alarm bells were raised about its safety.