United States - The experimental drug known as Qnexa won the approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration despite the side-effects which are cause for concern.
Qnexa, a combination of the appetite suppressant phentermine and the anti-seizure drug topiramate, is the first weight-loss drug to be approved by the agency in more than a decade. The last one, Xenical, was given approval in 1999 shortly after the "fen-phen" scandal.
The health concerns with Qnexa mainly deal with the heart which is the same with "fen-phen" and Meridia, another weight-loss medication that was pulled from the shelves in 2010.
Citing obesity and its associated health risks as a reason, a panel of experts outside of the FDA voted to approve the drug. They will make their final decision on April 17th.
Patients are said to be able to lose at least ten percent of their weight using the drug, patients also complained of memory loss and higher-than-usual heart rates. There are also worries it may increase the chances of birth defects
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