But problems could still occur, considering that patients with existing mental health issues are often excluded from obesity drug trials, so side effects not seen in trials could emerge when this population uses the medication. Such a situation may have occurred in 2007, when Sanofi-Aventis hailed Rimonabant, another neurotargeted drug, as a safe and effective weight-loss treatment. “The press releases looked great,” Greenway remembers. Shortly after the drug was released in Europe, however, reports of Rimonabant-related suicides began trickling in. The drug was never approved in the U.S. and was later recalled in Europe.

As a result, the FDA will likely view the new antiobesity drugs with caution. In July an FDA advisory panel narrowly voted against Qnexa, citing concerns over side effects. The FDA is not required to act on the panel’s recommendation, though.

Ed J. Hendricks, a physician who runs a weight-loss center in Sacramento, Calif., hopes at least one of the three drugs will be approved. “As the pathways behind obesity are better understood, the drugs are getting more specific,” he says. The question is whether they will act specifically enough and prove safe for wide use.

This article was originally published with the title Fat Attack.

5 Comments

1. 1. drkathyday@gmail.com 11:15 PM 9/6/10

   None of these new medications appear to have the substantial, rapid weight loss that surgery provides. Losses of 5%-10% are usual, over a period of months. Tests to see whether weight loss is sustained are not yet available. So for a 6 foot man weighing 275, that is, about 100 pounds over his ideal weight, these medications could be expected to help him lose about 12 to 25 pounds over a period of several months. While this is beneficial, it is not the major impact of bariatric surgery.

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2. 2. devinci 10:33 AM 9/14/10

   This particular condition has the unique qualifier that it can only become epidemic in a culture of excess. Which suggests that the root of the problem for the majority, is one of self-control and moderation. Spending money on bandages to the problem is not a logical solution.

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3. 3. mikecimerian 03:52 AM 9/15/10

   @devinci I agree.
   
   The whole concept of diet exists in denial of our biological heritage. The body interprets any sudden shortage as a signal to metabolize fat. It is a survival trait.
   
   Metabolism has to remain "motivated" which means that we have to tolerate certain thresholds of hunger.
   
   Who knows we may even become light headed once in a while, it isn't a bad experience.

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4. 4. galaxy_man 02:23 PM 9/15/10

   Anti-obesity drugs will never work because they always address the symptoms, never the problem.

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5. 5. joenn 10:37 PM 9/17/10

   This may sound like a dumb question but what is wrong with just eating right? It doesn't take a Mensa member mentality to figure out that the reason that most fat people are fat is because of their really bad eating habits. There is no way that the body can work right if it doesn't have the right nutrients to do what it does. It is not surprising that people are sick, fat, and hungry all the time. The bad food they are eating is making them sick, fat, and hungry. Drugs are not the answer either. They are part of the problem. They damage the body so it handicaped even more. The real solution is to eat the food that humans were intended to eat. Fruits, vegetables, and grains processed as little as possible. The local fast food places have none of the above.

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