The recent decision of the European Medicines Agency to withdraw the slimming pill Reductil from sale has left a lot of patients feeling bereft. Currently, the only slimming pill available with prescription in the UK is Xenical and while a lot of patients have had a lot of success with this drug, for others it just doesn’t meet their needs.
Reductil is a medication that assists with feelings of satiety after eating, meeting the key need of many patients who often blame their weight problems on their inability to control how much they eat.
We at The Online Clinic are therefore waiting with interest to hear reports on Danish firm Neurosearch’s trials into Tesofensine, which like Reductil is an appetite influencing drug.
Previous results showed that the medication could lead to results not only comparable to those achieved by patients taking Reductil, but better by a significant margin.
Patients also seemed to tolerate the medication well, though some did report side effects such as dry mouth and problems related to constipation. There were, however no reports of patients experiencing depression while taking the medication, a serious concern as Acomplia (another ill fated weight loss drug) was withdrawn after patients reported suicidal ideation.
Tesofensine is about to go into Stage III trials, the final stage of human testing before the FDA and European Medicines Agency makes a decision about whether approval will be granted or not. We will of course be writing about any breaking news on this new drug as it comes.