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Source: Weight Loss Surgery Channel

Date: 11-Jul-2010

A new weight loss drug by Arena Pharmaceuticals shows promising results in clinical trials, and could hit store shelves by early next year.

Arena Pharmaceuticals has reached a deal with Japan's Eisai Inc. possibly worth more than $1 billion to fund commercialization of a new weight loss drug that could be on the market by early next year. The drug, lorcaserin, has not yet been given a brand name but is one of a new wave of experimental obesity drugs that show promise.

Lorcaserin interacts with a receptor in the brain that is involved in appetite suppression, according to the San Diego-based pharmaceutical manufacturer. The company reports that in a late stage weight loss study of lorcaserin that included 6,000 patients, 47 percent of patients taking the drug lost at least five percent of their body weight, compared to only 23 percent in the group taking a placebo. A five percent weight loss is said to bring significant health benefits, according to many medical experts.

Finding a safe weight loss pill that will help people shed pounds has proven difficult, with many past drugs failing because of limited effectiveness or unpleasant side effects. The makers of lorcaserin say that the drug's safety and tolerability are much better than other weight loss drugs.

Eisai reportedly will pay $50 million upfront for rights to sell lorcaserin in the U.S. Arena could also get as much as $160 million in payments for reaching development targets and getting the weight loss drug approved by regulators. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is already reviewing lorcaserin and is expected to reach a decision by late October.