French agency head to leave over delayed withdrawal of slimming pill
This article was originally published in SRA
Executive Summary
Jean Marimbert, the head of the French drug and device regulatory agency, Afssaps, has announced he is leaving his post amid growing criticism over the time it took the agency to withdraw Servier's slimming drug Mediator (benfluorex hydrochloride) from the market1,2. Afssaps, a key player in the European pharmaceutical regulatory network, suspended the marketing of Mediator in 2009.