Can Obesity Be Cured With a Pill? The Race is On
Posted by admin | Under Prescription Drugs Saturday Mar 27, 2010
In the latest pharmaceutical news, an experimental obesity pill (Empatic) by Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. has accounted for a 7.5% weight loss in test subjects, in phase II trials after 24 weeks, as compared to a 1.4% weight loss in those taking a placebo. By FDA guidelines, there must beat least a 5 percentage point difference between patients taking a weight loss drug and those in a control group to receive U.S. approval. While the 6.1% difference does meet the federal guidelines, it must be pointed out that like the over the counter weight loss pill Alli (GlaxoSmithKline), Empatic is also combined with a diet and exercise program to achieve those results. If you are not familiar with Alli, it is a half strength, over the counter, version of Xenecal, a prescription only weight loss drug with current FDA approval.
With the possibility of raking in billions of dollars for an FDA approved drug to fight obesity and perhaps childhood obesity down the road, Orexigen and at least two other bio-tech companies are getting close and stock values are rising.
Now, while 6% is 6%, I don’t know if I would be wringing my hands in delightful anticipation that this is the “silver bullet” we’ve all been waiting for. It just seems that a 5% difference is a pretty low standard for declaring a prescription drug, with all the possible side effects and costs involved, the next big thing. In addition, 30+% of the subjects taking Empatic didn’t lose the required 5 percentage points difference and 50+% of another test group taking a lower dosage failed to hit the 5% mark. While warnings and side effects will be hashed out between the drug maker and the FDA at a later date, a look at Alli’s side effects might be enlightening: Gas with an oily anal discharge, Loose stools or diarrhea, More frequent bowel movements and Hard-to-control bowel movements to mention a few.
Maybe just a few more minutes on the treadmill or a few less calories a day might be a better approach. Just saying… Use the free BMI calculator to see where you stand.
