A consumer advocacy group is asking the FDA to ban the popular weight loss drug Meridia, also known as sibutramine, due to a recent study that shows it increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and death.

The results from a study on 10,000 patients showed a slightly higher risk for heart-related problems in patients taking Meridia compared with a placebo. However, Abbott Laboratories, the company that makes Meridia insists that the drug is not recommended or suited for use in 90 percent of those who participated in the study.

Public Citizen, which wrote the letter to the FDA requesting removal of the drug says there have been a total of 84 deaths due to use of Meridia reported to the FDA as of June 2009. The agency's panel of ouside specialists voted 5 to 4 that the drug's risks were greater than its benefits. The agency often follows their advice.

It remains to be seen whether the FDA will reverse its decision and ban Meridia.