Three New Weight Loss Drugs to Reach Market Soon

By Yana Katsevich, Project Weight Loss Editor-in-Chief
July 13, 2010

FDA is expected to review 3 new weight loss drugs; hoping these will be more effective than others. With U.S. obesity rates nearing 35 percent of the adult population, expectations are high. The new diet pills are: Qnexa, Contrave, and Lorcaserin.

To be considered effective, obesity drugs should reduce total body weight by at least 5 percent after one year, according to FDA guidance to companies.

Qnexa showed the best weight loss results in clinical trials, with patients losing between 13 and 15 percent of their body weight. But the drug, a combination of amphetamine and an anticonvulsant, also had the highest rate of patient dropouts due to side effects - especially memory and concentration problems.

Contrave, also a combination of an antidepressant and an anticonvulsant drug, showed weight loss between 5 and 10 percent. Nausea was the main side effect.

Lorcaserin is a brand new drug that acts on serotonin, the brain chemical associated with feelings of well-being and satiation, according to the maker. Patients in company trials lost only five percent of their body weight. Still, they reported the fewest side effects - a major factor in getting FDA approval.

Weight loss drugs have many factors to consider; a lot of them have extremely negative side effects and have been pulled from the market. Abbott Laboratories' appetite suppressant Meridia was pulled from the market in Europe last November due to data showing increased heart attack risks. And in May, the FDA warned consumers that the over-the-counter weight loss pill alli, which has been sold for years at a higher dose as the prescription drug Xenical, could cause severe liver damage.

Derek Lowe, a pharmaceutical researcher and blogger, says the new combination drugs under review hold promise because they work on multiple brain chemicals that drive overeating.

Research is ongoing to bring more effective drugs to the table; unfortunately there is nothing perfect yet. A good balanced diet and exercise always work without causing harm.

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