The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that prescription weight loss medicine Belviq might be linked to higher cancer risk.
The FDA issued a warning that weight loss drug Belviq might be associated with an increased risk of cancer. According to the FDA, this was based on findings from a clinical trial assessing the safety of the drugs Belviq and Belviq RX, or lorcaserin.
In the announcement, the FDA said: "At this time, the cause of the cancer is uncertain, and we cannot conclude that lorcaserin contributes to the cancer risk. However, we wanted to make the public aware of this potential risk. We are continuing to evaluate the clinical trial results and will communicate our final conclusions and recommendations when we have completed our review."
The agency also called on health care professionals to determine whether the benefits of taking lorcaserin outweigh the potential risks for a patient. The FDA also asked patients currently taking the drug to talk to their doctors about the potential increased risk of cancer.
Eisai Co., the drug's manufacturer, responded with a written statement saying: "Patient safety is Eisai's priority and we will continue to work closely with the FDA to evaluate the clinical trial results."
"We recommend patients speak directly with their health care professional in order to make the best decision about their medical treatment. As indicated in the FDA's communication, at this time, the FDA and Eisai cannot conclude that BELVIQ increases the risk of cancer," the pharmaceutical company added.
In the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial required by the FDA, results showed that more patients taking lorcaserin were diagnosed with cancer compared to patients taking a placebo.
The FDA said: "Our evaluation of this potential signal is ongoing, and at this time it is uncertain if lorcaserin increases the risk of cancer."
