Benfluorex, sold under the brand name Mediator, is an anorectic and hypolipidemic agent that is structurally related to fenfluramine (a substituted amphetamine).
[8] Thus Frachon et al. showed a higher rate of unexplained valvular heart disease in people taking benfluorex.
[9] Weill et al. looked at over 1 million people with diabetes demonstrating a higher hospitalization rate in benfluorex takers for valvular heart disease.
On March 29, 2021, a French court fined Servier €2.7m (£2.3m) after finding it guilty of deception and manslaughter, with Mediator linked to the deaths of up to 2,000 people.
[7] Fenfluramine, a related drug, had been withdrawn from the market in 1997 after reports of heart valve disease,[12][13] pulmonary hypertension, and development of cardiac fibrosis.