FDA APPROVES NEW OBESITY DRUG

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Marion Pellicano Ambrose
The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new anti obesitydrug names Belviq, the first new prescription drug for long-term weight loss toenter the U.S.market in 13 years. Despite only achieving modest weight loss in clinical studies,the drug appeared safe enough to win the FDA’s endorsement, amid calls fromdoctors for new weight-loss treatments. The agency cleared the pill Wednesdayfor adults who are obese or are overweight with at least one medical complication,such as diabetes , high cholesterol .or high blood pressure.The FDA denied approval for the drug in 2010 after scientistsraised concerns about tumors that developed in animals studied. The companyresubmitted the drug with additional data, and the FDA said there was littlerisk of tumors in humans. Arena, the pharmaceutical company who manufactures the drug, andits partner Eisai Inc. of Woodcliff Lake, N.J., expect tolaunch Belviq early next year. With U.S. obesity rates nearing 35percent of the adult population, many doctors have called on the FDA to approvenew weight loss treatments. But a long line of prescription weight lossofferings have been associated with safety problems, most notably the fen-phencombination, which was linked to heart valve damage in 1997. The cocktail ofphentermine and fenfluramine was a popular weight loss combination prescribedby doctors, though it was never approved by FDA. In a rare move, the FDA explicitly statedthat Belviq “does not appear to activate” a chemical pathway that was linked tothe heart problems seen with fen-phen. It said the drug acts on a differentchemical pathway in the brain, which is believed to reduce appetite by boostingfeelings of fullness. With obesity on the rise in America, I’m sure there are manyoverweight people hoping that this might finally be the magic pill that willend their struggles with see-sawing weight and the accompanying healthproblems. Let’s hope this drug does all they say it will do. http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2589326183749752511#editor/target=post;postID=3622830838290538680