The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today, June 27, 2012, approved the weight loss drug Belviq (lorcaserin hydrochloride). Studies of the drug for up to one year showed that increased weight loss by (only) 3 to 3.7 percent more than placebo. Read the entire article | Email this article

Studies of the new weight loss drug Belviq (lorcaserin) for up to one year showed that increased weight loss by (only) 3 to 3.7 percent more than placebo. The drug was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration today, June 27, 2012. Read the entire article | Email this article

"The approved labeling for Belviq recommends that the drug be discontinued in patients who fail to lose 5 percent of their body weight after 12 weeks of treatment [3 months], as these patients are unlikely to achieve clinically meaningful weight loss with continued treatment," according to the Press Release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.The drug was approved by the FDA on June 27, 2012. Read the entire article | Email this article

The most common side effects of Belviq (lorcaserin hydrochloride) in non-diabetic patients are

• headache


• dizziness


• fatigue


• nausea


• dry mouth, and


• constipation

and side effects in diabetic patients include

• low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)


• headache


• back pain


• cough, and


• fatigue.

This according to the Press Release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The drug was approved by the FDA on June 27, 2012.

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"Belviq [lorcaserin hydrochloride] may also cause disturbances in attention or memory," according to the Press Release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The drug was approved by the FDA on June 27, 2012.

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"Belviq [lorcaserin hydrochloride] Treatment with Belviq may cause serious side effects, including serotonin syndrome, particularly when taken with certain medicines that increase serotonin levels or activate serotonin receptors. These include, but are not limited to, drugs commonly used to treat depression and migraine," notes the Press Release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Symptoms of serotonin syndrome are listed below. Read the entire article | Email this article

"Belviq [lorcaserin hydrochloride] should not be used during pregnancy," according to the Press Release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The drug was approved by the FDA on June 27, 2012.

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Belviq (lorcaserin hydrochloride) does not appear to cause heart valve damage the way that fenfluramine (Pondimin) and dexfenfluramine (Redux) did back in 1997 according to the Press Release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Fenfluramine (Pondimin) and dexfenfluramine (Redux) seemed to cause this problem by stimulating serotonin 2B receptor on heart tissue, while Belviq (lorcaserin) appears to only stimulate serotonin 2C receptor.

However, "drug’s manufacturer will be required to conduct six postmarketing studies, including a long-term cardiovascular outcomes trial to assess the effect of Belviq on the risk for major adverse cardiac events such as heart attack and stroke" notes the FDA Press Release.

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People given 10 mg of Lorcaserin per day lost an average of 3.9 lbs after 3 months versus 0.7 lbs in those given a placebo. Read the entire article | Email this article

People given 15 mg of Lorcaserin per day lost an average of 5.7 lbs after 3 months versus 0.7 lbs in those given a placebo. Read the entire article | Email this article

People given 10 mg of Lorcaserin twice a day ( for a total of 20 m g per day ) lost an average of 7.9 lbs after 3 months versus 0.7 lbs in those given a placebo. Read the entire article | Email this article

"The most frequent adverse events [ of Lorcaserin ] were transient headache, nausea, and dizziness," according to a recent study. Read the entire article | Email this article

The diet pill lorcaserin was not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after an advisory panel voted 9-5 against recommending approval since weight loss was only 3 percent more than with a placebo and the drug was linked to cancer in rats.

The FDA notes that more studies are need to weigh the benefits versus risks. Read the entire article | Email this article

The one-fourth of subjects who lost the most weight with lorcaserin hydrochloride, a drug being developed by Area Pharmaceuticals, lost an average of 35.1 pounds versus 22.5 pounds for those given the placebo.

This was 16.3% of body weight for the lorcaserin group versus 10.4% for the placebo group. Read the entire article | Email this article

Serious side effects with lorcaserin hydrochloride, a drug being developed by Area Pharmaceuticals, occurred in

• 3.1% of patients given 10 mg twice a day


• 3.4% of patients given 10 mg once a day


• 2.2% of patients given a placebo.

They don't say what these serious side effects were. Read the entire article | Email this article

Side effects with lorcaserin hydrochloride, a drug being developed by Area Pharmaceuticals, included headache which occurred in

• 15.6% of patients given 10 mg twice a day


• 15.6% of patients given 10 mg once a day


• 9.2% of patients given a placebo.

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Side effects with lorcaserin hydrochloride, a drug being developed by Area Pharmaceuticals, included nausea which occurred in

• 9.1% of patients given 10 mg twice a day


• 7.6% of patients given 10 mg once a day


• 5.3% of patients given a placebo.

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Side effects with lorcaserin hydrochloride, a drug being developed by Area Pharmaceuticals, included nausea which occurred in

• 8.7% of patients given 10 mg twice a day


• 6.2% of patients given 10 mg once a day


• 3.9% of patients given a placebo.

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Side effects with lorcaserin hydrochloride, a drug being developed by Area Pharmaceuticals, included fatigue which occurred in

• 8.4% of patients given 10 mg twice a day


• 6.6% of patients given 10 mg once a day


• 4.1% of patients given a placebo.

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Side effects with lorcaserin hydrochloride, a drug being developed by Area Pharmaceuticals, included dry mouth which occurred in

• 5.4% of patients given 10 mg twice a day


• 3.4% of patients given 10 mg once a day


• 2.3% of patients given a placebo.

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Lorcaserin hydrochloride, a drug being developed by Area Pharmaceuticals, caused patients to lose an average of 12.7 pounds or 5.8 percent of body weight after one year versus 4.7 pounds or 2.2 percent of body weight for those given a placebo. Read the entire article | Email this article