Did the FDA wait too long to take Meridia off the market?

As I reported a couple of days ago, the FDA asked Abbot Labs to take its weight-loss drug Meridia off the market. The FDA's request (not an order) came more than eight months after the drug had been taken off the market in Europe. Did the FDA take too long to make its decision? The prominent consumer advocacy group Public Citizen is arguing it did. Here is a link to PC's press release, in which it concludes that "[t]he FDA’s decision today to ask pharmaceutical maker Abbott to withdraw the drug is commendable, but dangerously too late for all of the victims of its unacceptable risks." For more on this story go to AboutLawsuits.com.