French medical authorities made headlines recently over Mediator, a diabetes drug widely prescribed by doctors as an appetite suppressant, which is believed to have killed at least 500 people. The head of the French pharmaceutical firm Servier, maker of Mediator, is under formal investigation for manslaughter, and the head of France’s public health agency has resigned.  The row has highlighted the links between drug regulators and lobbying drug companies in France, which has one of the world’s highest levels of consumption of prescription drugs.

via France confirms Diane-35 drug deaths | World news | The Guardian.