Contrave® the newly invented weight loss medication from Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. may be approved as soon as January 31st, 2011 and could shortly become the most popular prescription weight loss drug.
If Contrave® is approved by the Food and Drug Administration at the end of January 2011 it could very likely become the most popular weight loss medication available by prescription. If FDA approval does happen, some are forecasting that this new medication alone could generate a billion dollars a year or more market for itself in the highly competitive weight loss industry. Contrave® is a medication developed by the pharmaceutical company Orexigen, which is a US based company in La Jolla, California. Also known as Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. Orexigen is specialising in developing biopharmaceuticals that treat obesity because of the greatly increasing numbers of people who suffer from obesity in the USA.
At this time the most popular prescription weight loss medication is Phentermine. Phentermine and other sympathomimetic drugs work by the stimulation of the hypothalamus gland as well as effecting specific neurotransmitters in the brain. Among other things the hypothalamus is a portion of the human brain that controls appetite. Contrave® also affects the hypothalamus to help reduce appetite but it also helps to control hunger cravings and increases your metabolism. This sets it apart from the weight loss industry standard of sympathomimetic drugs. Contrave® creates a threefold resistance to weight gain because of its unique formulation. Basically Contrave® is made from two existing medications bupropion and naltrexone, both of which are already approved by the FDA. Bupropion is an antidepressant and a stop smoking aid; while naltrexone is an anti craving medication used to help people defeat drug and alcohol addiction.
When both medications (bupropion and naltrexone) are combined together in the right proportions a pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic relationship is formed in which a superior weight loss medication is the result without many side effects. On December 7th 2010 a team of 20 doctors that is relied upon by the FDA for the approval of new drugs voted 13 in favour for Contrave® and 7 not in favour. The results of this vote would indicate a high likelihood of FDA approval on January 31st 2011. The buzz and excitement about Contrave® becoming a billion dollar industry as well as the next popular weight loss medication is partly due to the scientific trial results where individuals would lose 9% to 15% of their body weight in a year’s time. Obviously if lifestyle changes as well as the medication where being implemented at the same time, the amount of weight loss could be expected to be far greater than the already great results. Some individuals who took part in the trial study reported mild side effects of minor constipation and minor headaches, but often the side effects subsided after a couple months of using the medication.
Obesity is a serious health problem for individuals in many ways and should be addressed as such; this is where many hope that Contrave® may help. An individual suffering from obesity often has a poor self image and can often feel depressed about their body’s condition. Obesity is linked and often complicit with other health issues such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, strokes as well as mobility issues such as bad knees and hips. An obese person suffering from any or some of the mentioned health issues finds it often increases their difficulty in trying to lose weight due to the complications presented when they try to exercise or change their diet. This is why it seems Orexigen and other pharmaceutical companies are focusing a large amount of time, money, research and attention in the development of effective weight loss medications for the more than 70 million obese citizens of the USA. Obesity, if thought of as a disease, would unfortunately be an epidemic, causing more adverse and deadly health conditions directly related to obesity than smoking or alcoholism, at an estimated toll of 300,000 fatalities per year in US alone. Obesity related diseases are also responsible for an incredible amount of cost burden for health care in the upwards of $110 billion dollars per year. As we can see, the demand for a safe and effective weight loss medication is huge and great hopes are placed on Contrave® being that medication.
