New Weight Loss Drug Helps Craving Control

By Rachel Stockton (rachels@foodconsumer.org)

The weight loss industry is an odd entity; no matter how expensive, off the wall, or ridiculous a product or particular regimen may seem, an over weight America that is starving for a quick obesity fix quickly devours it. In 1997, a conference sponsored by concerned agencies, such as the Consumer Protection Bureau of the Federal Trade Commission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the reality of how much weight loss drugs deliver is exponentially exceeded by consumer expectations.

At least, until now. It's 2009 and Orexigen Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company devoted to the problem of obesity (per its website) has come up with a new drug that just might do what it claims to do. Contrave, a weight loss "cocktail" of sorts, has more than surpassed the FDA's requirements for efficacy. While the FDA's standard for clinical trials is that 1/3 of those on a proposed drug lose at least 5% of their body weight, over half of the participants that took Contrave lost an average of 8%.

Orexigen focuses on two levels of the central nervous system; the balance of food intake and metabolism, and the control of food preference and cravings. The drug is a combination of two generic drugs, bupropion and naltrexone; the former is an anti-depressant, the latter is prescribed to fight alcohol and opiate addiction.

Over the last several years, there has been a pharmaceutical trend toward combining drugs that have already been approved and from them creating an entirely different medication. Alexis Borisy, CEO of the "matchmaking" company CombinatoRX, told the New York Times in 2007 that this strategy makes more business sense than creating a new drug "from scratch."

In fact, it's expected that since Contrave consists of known drugs, it will pass FDA safety standards in short shrift.

As for the drug itself, it is based on the proven premise that overeating is a complicated issue. In the above mentioned 1997 conference, presenters submitted that only in the early to mid-90s did medical personnel begin to view obesity as more than a mere problem with self control. It is now viewed as a chronic disease due to genetic, biological, behavioral and psycho-social factors. As such, several issues need to be addressed in order to successfully treat the patient.

One benefit from the drug is that the irritability that usually comes with any type of drug such as phentermine is assuaged by the anti-depression component. Additionally, those placed on the drug reported greater self-esteem, which is essential as a positive reinforcement; it can serve as a "reward" that makes the dieter's perception of the process "worth it."

Should the company remain on track, they will submit a New Drug Application in the first half of 2010.