Lorcaserin

Lorcaserin is a prescription drug manufactured by Arena Pharmaceuticals that was recently rejected by the FDA. It is targeted at helping people lose and maintain their weight loss. The FDA advisory panel currently feels that Lorcaserin's risks outweigh its benefits and is unlikely to receive final approval by the FDA.

Lorcaserin is an oral treatment that comes in pill form. This weight loss pill has been clinically proven to help obese users, on average, lose 16% of their body weight. Lorcaserin works by helping the brain to control your appetite. The effects of Lorcaserin can become apparent after just 12 weeks of use, 10mg-20mg dosages can potentially result in up to 4lb to7.9lb weight loss. The pill is supposed to be more selective than previous diet treatments, as it only targets a single receptor in the brain.

What does Lorcaserin do?

Lorcaserin is intended for use by clinically obese people who are hoping to lose weight. This means that people who have a body mass index (BMI) of 30+ would be recommended for this treatment. The treatment comes in the form of an orally consumed pill that, once digested, gets absorbed into a user’s system and heads towards the brain.

Lorcaserin works on the brain’s serotonin receptor, which, when stimulated, affects appetite and your feelings of fullness. The treatment is, essentially, an appetite suppressant that adjusts certain chemicals in your brain in order to control hunger.

What are the benefits?

The manufacturer claims that Lorcaserin have benefits that other weight loss treatments don’t offer. The treatment can help to reduce heart rate and blood pressure and, conveniently, will only have to be taken once or twice a day. The pill is reported to have no side effects on a user’s heart valves or pulmonary artery vasculature and unlike other weight loss pills, such as Xenical, Lorcaserin does not cause back pain.

Why was Lorcaserin rejected?

Experts felt that the weight loss benefits provided by Lorcaserin were not sufficient enough to help them make a majority decision in favour of the treatment. One of the main problems highlighted was that there was not enough research done on the treatment and its effect on patients with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Some mentioned concerns about the treatment’s links to cancer and tumour development. There were also worries about whether the treatment aggravated the development of depression and memory loss.

Although the majority vote went against the treatment, some of the panel members felt that the treatment could potentially be very helpful in treating overweight people.

Are there any other prescription obesity treatments available?

Other than Lorcaserin there were also two other weight loss treatments that were awaiting FDA approval, Qnexa and Contrave. Qnexa didn’t receive a positive recommendation from the FDA board, however Contrave is said to be up for final approval next year. Currently, the only prescription treatment available to assist in weight loss is Xenical, to find out more about this treatment and the benefits please click here.