China's drug watchdog Saturday ordered the recall of medicines containing a common weight-loss drug, saying the drug increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, the Beijing Times reported.

Sibutramine is a chief ingredient in anti-obesity medicines that alter appetite and metabolism, and is found in most diet drugs on the Chinese market.

Based on research from both home and abroad, the State Food and Drug Administration has concluded that the risk of using these medications outweighs their health benefits and has therefore decided to suspend their production, sale and use.

More than a dozen diet pills containing sibutramine have been removed from the market since Saturday, according to the report.

Sibutramine was first introduced as an anti-obesity medication in 1997 and gained access to the Chinese market in 2000.

Recent research from Europe and Australia has revealed the drug's potential for increasing the risk of heart diseases. The EU suspended its sale and application this February.

(CRIENGLISH.com October 31, 2010)