FDA Approves New Weight Loss Drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved another weight loss drug, known as Orexigen Therapeutic's Contrave. The product will be used to help obese individuals dealing with chronic weight issues. However, patients approved to use it must have at least one health condition, including hypertension or type 2 diabetes, and should be exercising or dieting at the time of use.

"Obesity continues to be a major public health concern," Jean-Marc Guettier, director of the Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products in FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement via Businessweek. "Contrave provides another treatment option for chronic weight management for people who are obese or are overweight and have at least one weight-related health condition."

Though the product was initially rejected by the agency back in 2011, a panel of physicians once recommended approval of the product via the FDA. As tthe drug's use was temporarily rejected after its production, the company started a new trial after increasing patient's risk of heart attack or other adverse effects.

Orexigen's Contrave combines bupropion, also used in antidepressants, to help curb appetite, and naltrexone, a treatment to combat alcoholism and opioid dependence, which the company said increases drug tolerability.

The FDA has also noted, via a statement, that patients should be evaluated following a 12-week period to determine if the treatment is working properly. If a patient hasn't lost at least 5 percent of their baseline body weight, the drug will be discontinued in order to help the patient achieve and sustain better weight loss with another option.

More information regarding the drug can be seen here.