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Belviq Benefits

Decent Essays

Karishma Shah

In June 2012, the U.S Food and Drug Administration approved marketing of the weight reduction drug Belviq (Lorcaserin hydrochloride), but the same drug application was formally rejected by the European Medicine Agency (EMA) by claiming that “the benefits of Belviq did not outweigh its risks” (Wolfe, 2013). While, I believe that Belviq have proven to be safe and effective in reducing weight in particular group of population, I strongly disagree with its market approval by knowing the fact that the potential benefits of Belviq do not outweigh the potential risks associated with its long term use in overweight and obese individuals.

The FDA approved Belviq on the basis of three randomized, placebo-controlled trials including right around 8,000 obese and overweight patients, with and without type 2 diabetes, who were given the medication for somewhere around 52 and 104 weeks. The results of this trials demonstrates that individuals who take Belviq for a year can expect to lose just 3 to 3.7 percent of their weight (FDA, 2012). In one trial, patients taking Belviq did lose up to 5 percent of their body weight following 12 months, however gained back 25 percent of it by the end of the second year (Consumer Reports, 2013). More important, Belviq has insignificant 2B serotonin receptor activity, yet the FDA …show more content…

In the case of Belviq, it clearly seems that the risks associated with the drug exceed the benefits. In summary, my belief is that while approving such drug is likely to help reducing weight in particular group of patients, it could also lead to more dangerous threat to health in its long-term usage. For this reason, I suggest that Belviq should get its market approval only after the applicant further justifies the overall risk/benefit

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