For the second time in a month, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a prescription weight-loss medication for the nation's 78 million obese adults after maintaining for years that the measly benefits of the pills did not outweigh their significant costs.
Qsymia, a combination of two drugs already approved to treat other conditions, "provides another option for the chronic weight management of Americans" who are obese or who are overweight and suffer a related condition such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or worrisome cholesterol readings, said Dr. Janet Woodcock, the FDA's chief of drug evaluation.
She underscored that the new medication — whose name is pronounced "kyoo-sim-EE-uh" — is to be taken by adult patients who also have cut back on calories and increased their physical activity.
The approval pushed Vivus Inc. shares to their highest level in 15 years.
Read more from Los Angeles Times.
