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With the arrival of a diet drug to pharmacies today, there are now two new prescription medications to treat obesity – the first new ones available to heavy patients in more than a decade. The drugs offer to boost weight loss a modest 5 to 10 percent, but become another “tool in the toolbox” for physicians trying to help America out of its obesity crisis.
Belviq (pronounced bel-VEEK) sold by Eisai, will start arriving in pharmacies this week. It works on brain chemistry to create a feeling of fullness and can help obese patients lose an average of about 5 percent or so of their starting weight when used in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and exercise.
The wholesale cost of a month’s supply of Belviq to pharmacies is just under $200, says Gary Palmer, chief medical officer for Eisai. The price that patients will pay depends on their insurance coverage and may vary between pharmacies, he says.
Another new diet drug, Qsymia (pronounced kyoo-SIM-ee-uh), from Vivus, which came out in mid-September, helps heavy folks drop about 10 percent of their weight by suppressing appetite and increasing the feeling of fullness.
Both drugs are intended to provide treatment help for those who are obese, which is roughly 35 or more pounds over a healthy weight, or overweight patients who have one other weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol. About a third of people in this country are obese. The drugs are not meant for people who want to lose a few pounds for cosmetic reasons.
About 89,000 prescriptions were written for Qsymia from the launch through March, he says. The medicine costs about $150 a month for those who pay cash. About a third of the patients had their prescriptions covered by insurance companies with a $50 co-pay. The company is offering the medication for no charge for the first two weeks, and a 50percent discount for the first month of treatment.
The new obesity drugs were approved last summer by the Food and Drug Administration. These medications are new “tools in the toolbox” for doctors who are treating obese patients, says Harvey Grill, president of the Obesity Society, a group of weight-control researchers, and a professor of behavioral neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. There are several other new obesity drugs on the horizon, and many others being investigated now, he says.
Other diet medications available to treat obesity include phentermine, which suppresses appetite; and orlistat (Xenical), which keeps some dietary fat from being absorbed by the intestine. Orlistat is sold in a lower-dose, over-the-counter version as Alli.
Belviq (pronounced bel-VEEK) sold by Eisai, will start arriving in pharmacies this week. It works on brain chemistry to create a feeling of fullness and can help obese patients lose an average of about 5 percent or so of their starting weight when used in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and exercise.
The wholesale cost of a month’s supply of Belviq to pharmacies is just under $200, says Gary Palmer, chief medical officer for Eisai. The price that patients will pay depends on their insurance coverage and may vary between pharmacies, he says.
Another new diet drug, Qsymia (pronounced kyoo-SIM-ee-uh), from Vivus, which came out in mid-September, helps heavy folks drop about 10 percent of their weight by suppressing appetite and increasing the feeling of fullness.
Both drugs are intended to provide treatment help for those who are obese, which is roughly 35 or more pounds over a healthy weight, or overweight patients who have one other weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol. About a third of people in this country are obese. The drugs are not meant for people who want to lose a few pounds for cosmetic reasons.
About 89,000 prescriptions were written for Qsymia from the launch through March, he says. The medicine costs about $150 a month for those who pay cash. About a third of the patients had their prescriptions covered by insurance companies with a $50 co-pay. The company is offering the medication for no charge for the first two weeks, and a 50percent discount for the first month of treatment.
The new obesity drugs were approved last summer by the Food and Drug Administration. These medications are new “tools in the toolbox” for doctors who are treating obese patients, says Harvey Grill, president of the Obesity Society, a group of weight-control researchers, and a professor of behavioral neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. There are several other new obesity drugs on the horizon, and many others being investigated now, he says.
Other diet medications available to treat obesity include phentermine, which suppresses appetite; and orlistat (Xenical), which keeps some dietary fat from being absorbed by the intestine. Orlistat is sold in a lower-dose, over-the-counter version as Alli.
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