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Home » Long Term Weight Loss » FDA OKs drug for long-term weight loss

The Food and Drug Administration has approved Arena Pharmaceuticals anti-obesity pill Belviq, the first new prescription drug for long-term weight loss to enter the U.S. market in more than a decade.

Despite only achieving modest weight loss in clinical studies, the drug appeared safe enough to win the FDAs endorsement, amid calls from doctors for new weight-loss treatments.

The agency cleared the pill Wednesday for adults who are obese or are overweight with at least one medical complication, such as diabetes or high cholesterol. The drug should be used in combination with a healthy diet and exercise.

Obesity Society President Patrick O'Neil said hes encouraged by the drugs approval because it underscores the notion that lifestyle changes alone are not enough to treat obesity.

This is good news because it tells us that the FDA is indeed treating obesity seriously, said Mr. ONeil, who teaches at Medical University of South Carolina and was the lead researcher on several studies of Belviq. On the other hand, its not the answer to the problem or even a big part of the answer.

Even if the effects of Belviq are subtle, experts say it could be an important first step in developing new treatments that attack the underlying causes of obesity.

The way these things tend to work is you have some people who do extremely well and other people dont lose any weight at all. But if we had 10 medicines that were all different and worked like this, we would have a real field, said Dr. Louis Aronne, director of the weight-loss program at Weill-Cornell Medical College.

The FDA denied approval for Arenas drug in 2010 after scientists raised concerns about tumors that developed in animals studied with the drug. The company resubmitted the drug with additional data earlier this year, and the FDA said there was little risk of tumors in humans.

Arena and its partner Eisai Inc. of Woodcliff Lake, N.J., expect to launch the drug in early 2013.

With U.S. obesity rates nearing 35 percent of the adult population, many doctors have called on the FDA to approve new weight-loss treatments.

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FDA OKs drug for long-term weight loss

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Home » Long Term Weight Loss » FDA OKs drug for long-term weight loss