Science and Health

Experimental diet pill shows promise, little risk

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-07-15 15:57

tudy leader, Dr. Steven Smith of the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in Orlando.

Some experts described the drug's effectiveness as moderately good, and its safety as apparently very good. The findings are probably sufficient to meet FDA benchmarks and win approval, they predicted.

Current diet pills include the appetite suppressant phentermine; sibutramine, an appetite suppressant sold as Meridia; and orlistat, a drug that blocks fat absorption and is sold as the prescription drug Xenical or the over-the-counter Alli.

They are all problematic. Phentermine has been linked to heart palpitations and higher blood pressure. Sibutramine has been tied to heart risks and has been removed from the market in Europe; the FDA will review its risks and benefits later this year. And orlistat can cause stomach pains, gas, and bowel leakage.

San Diego-based Arena hasn't put a price on lorcaserin. But it could be especially useful for obese patients with heart problems.

"There's a whole group of individuals we cannot use these current medications on," said Dr. Robert Kushner, a weight-loss expert at Chicago's Northwestern University who advises a company that makes another experimental diet drug.

The two other drugs before the FDA are combinations of medicines already on the market.

Vivus Inc.'s Qnexa is up for review Thursday. It combines phentermine and topiramate, a drug used for migraines and epilepsy that has raised safety concerns. Topiramate carries warnings about possible suicidal tendencies.

Contrave, made by Orexigen Therapeutics Inc., combines bupropion and naltrexone. The first is used to help people quit smoking and deal with depression. The second is used to decrease cravings for alcohol and illegal drugs.