A new drug that promises help for the obese will soon be evaluated by the FDA. Contrave by Orexigen Therapeutics takes a new approach to weight loss by combining two existing drugs called Naltrexone and Wellbutrin.
Contrave is a new approach to weight loss in that there is no attempt to suppress appetite or change the way that the body turns food into fat. Instead, Contrave tries to tackle the issues that people have that lead them to overeating in the first place.
Two of the reasons that cause people to overeat are addiction and depression. By combining drugs that combat these two maladies the makers of Contrave hope to interrupt the cycle of overeating by addressing the causes. Welbutrine and Naltrexone are drugs that are proven to fight depression and addiction and are combined to treat these two issues.
This approach to weight loss is so different because it avoids the assumption that people mainly become overweight due to a lack of self-control and will-power. There are many reasons why people become overweight but by focusing on two of the major, well-known reasons researchers are offering new hope to many people suffering from weight gain due to depression or an addictive personality.
Welbutrine was approved for treatment of depression by the FDA in 1985 and has a proven track record. Naltrexone has been in use since 2006 and has been very successful in treating addiction and helping people to stop smoking. The safety of these two drugs is well documented with few reported side-effects. In a promising one year study of Contrave conducted by Orexigen, participants reported an average of 6% loss in fat.
There are many factors that cause excessive weight gain. Assuming that the problem is always just not enough will-power is simplistic and just plain wrong. Contrave takes the correct approach by targeting the reasons people overeat instead of trying to kill appetite or block the absorption of fat. There will probably never be a “magic pill” to cure obesity but addressing the underlying issues and changing lifestyles has the best chance of success.
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