Weight Loss Drug Qnexa Denied Approval by the FDA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided to not approve the weight loss drug Qnexa, which has been hailed by some professionals as a revolutionary drug that could end the obesity epidemic. Vivus, Inc, who is the manufacturers of the drug claim that they are not done with Qnexa though and that it may still be available sooner or later to the public.

Qnexa is a weight loss drug that is actually a combination of two drugs called phentermine and topiramate. Back in the summer an FDA committee actually voted against the approval of the drug as they want more information on possible side effects o f the drug. Specifically they want to know more about possible birth defects and more information about why the heart rate increases slightly when the drug is taken.

According to Vivus, Inc they have no problems giving the FDA the information and they don't even need to conduct even more studies with the drug. Just last month, the manufacturers released data of their research studies, which according to them showed that participants showed a 10% loss of body weight then they took Qnexa. The chief executive of Vivus, Leland Wilson, feels confident that Qnexa will be approved by the FDA in the future.

Although Wilson may be confident about Qnexa's approval, it appears that the FDA has been cutting down on weight loss drugs this year. The FDA also recently denied the approval of lorcaserin, which was a weight loss drug developed by Arena Pharmaceuticals. According to the FDA, they had concerns over the effectiveness of the drug as well as the cancers that occurred during the trials.

Also, the FDA requested that Abbot Laboratories take their drug Meridia off the market as well. A study on the drug found that it increased the risk for heart attacks and strokes in people who took the drug and already had some sort of cardiovascular disease.

The way that it is looking, Qnexa may be approved for public use by the middle of 2011. Vivus says that it plans on re-applying for approval and hopes to have the product in the marketplace by the end of 2011.

So, is Qnexa the next miracle weight loss drug? After seeing so many different drugs approved and then taken off the market, one has to wonder about these weight loss drugs. Are the risks really worth it? What happened to eating healthy and getting regular exercise as the way to lose weight? Some people think that weight loss drugs are actually making people lazier instead of healthier.

Before you take any type of weight loss pill or product you need to realize that this is not a long term fix. You need to practice a healthy diet and get regular exercise if you truly want to be healthy and keep the weight off for life. No matter if Qnexa is approved or not by the FDA, you need to make sure you change your life now and start exercising and eating healthy.

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9J5F2F01.htm