Anti-Obesity Agents and the US Food and Drug Administration

Despite the growing market for obesity care, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved only two new pharmaceutical agents—lorcaserin and combination phentermine/topiramate—for weight reduction since 2000, while removing three agents from the market in the same time period. This article...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current obesity reports 2014-09, Vol.3 (3), p.361-367
Main Authors: Casey, Martin F., Mechanick, Jeffrey I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavioral Therapy
Cardiology
Diabetes
Endocrinology
Hot Topic
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Metabolic Diseases
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Summary:Despite the growing market for obesity care, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved only two new pharmaceutical agents—lorcaserin and combination phentermine/topiramate—for weight reduction since 2000, while removing three agents from the market in the same time period. This article explores the FDA’s history and role in the approval of anti-obesity medications within the context of a public health model of obesity. Through the review of obesity literature and FDA approval documents, we identified two major barriers preventing fair evaluation of anti-obesity agents including: (1) methodological pitfalls in clinical trials and (2) misaligned values in the assessment of anti-obesity agents. Specific recommendations include the use of adaptive (Bayesian) design protocols, value-based analyses of risks and benefits, and regulatory guidance based on a comprehensive, multi-platform obesity disease model. Positively addressing barriers in the FDA approval process of anti-obesity agents may have many beneficial effects within an obesity disease model.
ISSN:2162-4968
2162-4968
DOI:10.1007/s13679-014-0115-x