There was some very good (if not unexpected) news from the US overnight: the FDA has approved Lorcaserin as a weight loss pill. Lorcaserin is going to be marketed in the US as Belviq, although we believe that it will be marketed as Lorqess in Europe (if it gets a license here).
Lorcaserin should not be seen as a magic bullet in the sorry tale of rising obesity levels but it will definitely help. Most patients lost at least 5% of their bodyweight over a year and a further third lost at least 10%. Even these modest levels of weight loss with Lorcaserin can bring big health gains, such as reduced blood pressure, reduced cholesterol levels and a greater control over blood sugars, thereby preventing or delaying the onset of Type 2 diabetes.
It is the view of The Online Clinic that this decision augers well for Qnexa, the next weight loss medication up for review. We predict that Qnexa will be licensed in the US in the next few weeks and that a license will be granted in the EU in the autumn.
Please note that neither Lorcaserin nor Qnexa is available to prescribe at the current time. We expect a launch towards the end of 2012 or early 2013. We will keep readers posted and patients who have registered an interest will be e-mailed when these medications become available to prescribe.