The same advisory panel assessing Avandia will also evaluate the safety and efficacy of one of three new weight loss drugs this week. Given the difficulties in developing a drug that can safely induce substantial weight loss and a 35 percent U.S. adult obesity rate, there is high demand for a new weight loss option.
The drug to be reviewed this week, Qnexa, is not a novel medication it actually combines two known treatments, phentermine, an amphetamine-type drug known to suppress appetite, and the anti-convulsion drug topiramate, which induces satiety.
ACSH s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan hopes that the advisory committee considers the fact that obesity itself has its own risks, which can have severe medical consequences.
Unlike other public health groups, points out ACSH s Jeff Stier, we actively encourage the development of safe and effective weight-loss therapies. Other groups simply, almost puritanically, only advocate for lifestyle changes, which while essential, are easier said than done and have not proven to be effective population-wide not because they don't work, but because too many people are for whatever reason unable to comply."
Adds Stier, We recognize the difficulty of this endeavor both from the efficacy and safety side, but we believe new therapies can be one important tool, not an answer alone, to help people achieve weight-loss and an overall healthier lifestyle.
