It is still a tense time for pharmaceutical companies who are eager to produce an alternative weight loss treatment to Xenical but Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. have proved the Food and Drug Administration (U.S) wrong regarding their suspicions of Lorcaserin’s connection with cancer risk and heart valve damage and so hope is rekindled in the search for a potentially effective drug for weight loss.
A recent clinical trial carried out by the company reveals that only a moderate weight loss was observed with patients taking their weight loss drug hopeful, Lorcaserin, however with no serious adverse sidebeffects or heart related damage. 4,000 obese adults participated in the study which was carried out over a period of one year and 40% of participants lost at least 5% of their initial body weight . Only 25% of those taking the placebo experienced the same results.
The study’s author expresses that although the weight lost was moderate, it would still have a substantial effect on obesity related health problems. There is a worry that the Food and Drug Administration are being too strict on such pharmaceutical companies and in the meantime people are seriously overweight and without drug options.