On the eve of a decision by the FDA to approve a pair of diet drugs, a federal panel of independent experts yesterday issued new recommendations for combating obesity, but did not include diet drugs among them. Instead, the recommendation by the US Preventive Services Task Force suggested that doctors instruct obese patients to diet, exercise and seek weight-loss counseling,
The Boston Globe writes.“One of the problems with drugs is that the clinical trials just show short-term outcomes,” David Grossman, a Seattle pediatrician who led the US Preventive Services Task Force panel that issued the updated recommendations. “Once a person stops taking the drug, we don’t know what happens with long-term weight gain” (read the recommendation here).
The assessment occurs just one day before the FDA is expected to decide whether to approve a diet drug from Arena Pharmaceuticals called Lorqess; a decision on a pill from Vivus, which is called Qnexa, is expected July 17. In recent months, FDA advisory panels have recommended the agency approve both pills, but only after a series of delays over concerns about various side effects that, of course, can tilt the balance between risk and reward (see here and here).
The FDA is under pressure, however, because fighting fat is a key priority for public health agencies. The percentage of obese Americans, which is already a hefty 36 percent, is expected to swell to 42 percent by 2030. By then, 11 percent could be severely obese, which is deemed to be about 100 or more pounds over a healthy weight, compared with 6 percent two years ago, according to a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (look here).
Despite such forecasts, the recommendation from the US Preventive Services Task Force may mitigate the reception any newly approved diet drug receives in the medical community. The fen-phen weight-loss combination - half of which was withdrawn in 1997 over serious side effects - is regularly invoked by some consumer advocates and physicians as reason to be cautious. At the time, pill mills appeared to cater to overweight people who saw diet drugs as a quick fix.
The FDA, by the way, has not approved a new prescription diet drug since Xenical in 1999. But the pill, which was sold by Roche and later as an over-the-counter pill by GlaxoSmithKline, never caught on with the public due to side effects, such as oily underwear, and only modest weight-loss gains. Another pill, Meridia, was withdrawn two years ago over cardiovascular risks.
For these reasons, investors are optimistic the FDA will approve the Arena drug. Since the FDA panel recommended approval in May, Arena shares climbed 170 percent before settling back in recent days. Similarly, Vivus has climbed steadily for the past three months. One Wall Street brokerage, BMO Capital, estimated Lorqess sales could reach $1.6 billion globally by 2020, and rise to $550 million by 2017.
scale pic thx to alancleaver on flickr
7 Comments
Research gastric bypasses gone bad (aka GBGB's), a surprising number don't work out so well. In addition to dying some of the other after effects include never having another solid bowel movement and a lifetime on TPN.
I know people who can exist on VLCL's (very low calorie diets) on about 800 calroies/day under medical supervision. Personally I would prefer to scarf down a handful of macadamia nuts without having to count my permissible daily quota first.
A half-decent diet and moderate excerise would work wonders for most people but it does involve a little work.
Of course maybe soon we'll have the floating couches that the tubs of lard floated around on in the future in the movie WALL-E...
Not bad alliteration for an old morphologist.