Lorcaserin Clears Its Final Hurdle to Launch at DEA

Almost a year after FDA approved lorcaserin (Belviq®) for introduction in the U.S. and recommended that DEA label it as a class IV controlled substance, DEA has finally cleared the way by concurring with FDA’s recommendation. Class IV is the second least restrictive class for drugs with abuse potential and is the same class assigned to phentermine, the most widely used drug for obesity treatment.

The ruling by DEA clears the way for sale of lorcaserin 30 days after the decision is published in the Federal Register today. DEA’s action was unusually slow in this case, but because such decisions are uncommon for DEA, they are not accountable for acting according to a specific timeline.

Click here to read more from Bloomberg.

Approved Wait image from Wikimedia

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