FDA Reverses Expert Advisors’ Decision, Rejects New Obesity Treatment

Despite a favorable vote by an FDA advisory panel in December, Orexigen Therapeutics announced that FDA rejected their application for a new obesity treatment called Contrave (naltrexone/buproprion).

Obesity Society President Jennifer Lovejoy, PhD, expressed disappointment. “In the face of such a devastating, widespread and expensive public health crisis as obesity, it is baffling that the FDA has consistently denied approval for anti-obesity medications,” said Dr. Lovejoy. “The FDA seems to expect that any obesity medication must be free of any side effects. This is an unrealistic standard and one to which medications for other diseases are not held. The Obesity Society will be working with other professional societies in the coming weeks to meet with FDA and Congressional leaders and discuss improvements to the process of reviewing obesity medications.”