Scientists Call For More Studies Into Obesity Drugs
January 8, 2007
Scientists are calling for more
studies on the safety and efficacy of weight
loss treatments to prove that their benefits outweigh
risks.
In an article in the Lancet medical journal, Raj Padwal and Sumit Majumdar of the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton in Canada said drugs like Roche Holding AG's Xenical and Abbott Laboratories' Meridia have shown benefits and helped obese people lose weight, but extensive studies are needed to establish that these drugs save lives or reduce risks of life-threatening diseases like heart ailments so that doctors can prescribe these drugs without hesitation.
Xenical, known generically
as orlistat, and Meridia,
generically sibutramine, are prescribed for long term
use. Orlistat reduces weight by an average of three
kilograms, whereas sibutramine reduces weight by 4 kilograms
to five kilograms on average, Padwal and Majumdar said
in the article.
But, these drugs have potentially important adverse
effects, they said, noting that orlistat is associated
with frequent gastrointestinal side effects, while sibutramine
could lead to increase in blood pressure and heart rate,
and another drug, rimonabant,
is known to lead to mood disorders.
Orlistat works by restricting the absorption of fat, sibutramine suppresses hunger and rimonabant, a relatively new drug, is mainly for use by obese people among diabetics.
The two scientists said these adverse effects are noticed in short-term use of these drugs and what concerns doctors is the impact of long term use. Unfortunately, research on anti-obesity drugs are affected by high drop-out rates and by a lack of data on long-term illnesses and deaths.
The Pennington study was sponsored by Scientific Intake, the pioneering, Atlanta-based company with broad, international patents on non-invasive approaches to dietary restriction at the mouth instead of surgically at the stomach. The Pennington study results were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Obesity Research.
They said in the light of the lack of successful weight
loss-treatments and the public health implications of
the obesity
pandemic, development of safe and effective drugs should
be a priority.
The researchers also noted that there is lack of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality endpoints in obesity drug trials. This is a major gap in knowledge. "In our efforts to fill the therapeutic void that characterizes contemporary obesity management, the benefits of obesity pharmacotherapy must outweigh the risks and costs.
Source from: http://www.earthtimes.org/
|
