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Posted: June 28, 2012 at 11:20 pm
ROCHESTER, Minn., June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Medifast, the fast-growing weight loss system in Minnesota, is pleased to announce the opening of its first Rochester, MN Weight Loss Center in July 2012. The newest Medifast Weight Control Center will be conveniently located at 2048 Superior Dr NW, Suite 300 Rochester, MN 55901
The Medifast Weight Control program is based on healthy eating, combined with staff support and one on one counseling. Minnesota Weight Control, Inc currently operates six Medifast Weight Control Centers in Minnesota, with a seventh center located in Eau Claire, WI.
Originally developed by Dr. William Vitale for doctors to use with their patients, the clinically proven Medifast plan has been recommended by more than 20,000 M.D.'s since 1980. Typically, Medifast clients following the program lose up to two to five pounds a week.
Exact locations of all eight Medifast Weight Control Centers and additional information can be found at http://www.MedifastMN.com or http://www.MedifastWI.com.
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'It's fun living now'
186 pounds ago, John Borgstrom of Roseville, Minnesota was just plaintired. All the time. "I was missing out on so much. No energy. No walking. No sports. Cutting the grass was tough. I'd have to rest, take a nap afterward. Just lethargic all the time." Not that the feelings were new to him. He was 64 and, "I'd been heavy since I was a child. I'd gain weight, then I'd lose weight, then I'd gain weight."
His physician had placed him on blood pressure medication, and he knew he had to "do something for face diabetes."
Linda, John's wife of 39 years, knew it, too. "I saw him going downhill because of his weight and was concerned about 'what's next?'"
So she took action. Gently. But action, nonetheless. "We had investigated Medifast online, so I decided to visit the Roseville Weight Loss Center. I met with them, liked them, and told John about it. Then I set the material on the table and just left it there. About a week later, I said was going back to learn more about it, and asked if he wanted to come along. He said yes."
Posted: June 28, 2012 at 11:23 am
27 June 2012 Last updated at 19:43 ET
US health regulators have approved a weight-loss pill for the first time in 13 years.
Belviq, made by Arena Pharmaceutical, can be used by obese or overweight adults with at least one condition.
The drug achieved only modest results in clinical studies, helping people lose on average about 5% of their body weight.
Belviq was rejected in 2010 because of concerns over tumours that developed in animals tested with the drug.
After San Diego-based Arena resubmitted its application with more data, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found little risk of tumours in humans using the drug.
The medication is expected to launch in 2013.
Belviq is designed to block appetite signals in the brain, making patients feel fuller with smaller amounts of food.
It has been approved for use in obese adults with a body mass index of 30 or greater.
The drug can also be used by overweight adults with a BMI of 27 or greater if they have at least one other condition such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol.
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US approves new weight-loss pill
Posted: June 28, 2012 at 11:23 am
The Food and Drug Administration has approved marketing of the weight-loss drug lorcaserin, the first prescription anti-obesity medication to win the FDA's blessing since the agency approved orlistat in 1999.
Once it is cleared by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the drug will be marketed in the United States under the commercial name Belviq.
The medication won marketing approval as a drug for "chronic weight management in adult patients" with a body mass index greater than 30, or for those with a BMI of 27 or above with a weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol or Type 2 diabetes.
The FDA's approval came with a significant warning to consumers likely to flock to a medication that could help boost their weight loss: The safety and effectiveness of Belviq when used alongside other diet medications has not been established.
Nor, the FDA said, has the effect of Belviq on the long-term risk of having, or dying from, a heart attack or stroke.
The approval comes after a lengthy review by an agency under pressure to help Americans lose weight but also to screen out drugs that could prove dangerous once embraced by a large number of patients.
Just over 1 in 3 adult Americans is considered obese, and an additional 36% are overweight, prompting widespread concern that Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers linked to obesity will overwhelm the U.S. healthcare system. Already, obesity-related disease is estimated to account for $147 billion in annual healthcare costs.
Belviq, made by San Diego-based Arena Pharmaceuticals, is one of four weight-loss drugs the FDA has anguished over in recent years. Safety concerns have prompted the agency to order the makers of two other candidate drugs to conduct and comb through additional research. A third drug was withdrawn after it was linked to an elevated suicide risk.
In the 28 months since the makers of Belviq submitted the drug for FDA consideration, the agency also demanded the withdrawal of Meridia after studies showed it increased the risk of heart attack and stroke. That left only two FDA-approved weight-loss drugs on the market: orlistat and phentermine.
The result has been to the growing frustration of many obesity experts almost no pharmaceutical aid for a steadily growing population of Americans desperate for help in shedding pounds.
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FDA approves lorcaserin, first weight-loss drug since 1999
Posted: June 28, 2012 at 11:23 am
Featured Article Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness Also Included In: Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals Article Date: 28 Jun 2012 - 3:00 PDT
Current ratings for: Weight Loss Pill Belviq Gets FDA Approval
Belviq (lorcaserin hydrochloride), made by the Swiss pharma company Arena, is the first prescription diet drug to receive US federal approval in over a decade. It works by activating the serotonin 2C receptor in the brain, an effect that may help the patient feel full after eating smaller amounts of food and thereby eat less.
Dr Janet Woodcock, director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA, told the press:
"Obesity threatens the overall well being of patients and is a major public health concern."
FDA says the drug is approved for use in adults who are obese, or adults who are overweight and have at least one weight-related condition, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.
"The approval of this drug, used responsibly in combination with a healthy diet and lifestyle, provides a treatment option for Americans who are obese or are overweight and have at least one weight-related comorbid condition," said Woodcock.
The agency defines obesity as having a BMI of 30 or over, and overweight as having a BMI under this but no less than 27. BMI stands for Body Mass Index, and equals weight in kilos divided by the square of height in metres.
BMI is used by health authorities and policymakers as a measure of body fat. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one in three of adult Americans is obese.
The approved label for Belviq recommends that patients stop using it if they fail to lose 5% of their body weight after 12 weeks of treatment, as "these patients are unlikely to achieve clinically meaningful weight loss with continued treatment," says the FDA in their announcement.
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Weight Loss Pill Belviq Gets FDA Approval
Posted: June 28, 2012 at 11:23 am
Posted: 2:36 pm Wed, June 27, 2012 By Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Food and Drug Administration has approved Arena Pharmaceuticals anti-obesity pill Belviq, the first new prescription drug for long-term weight loss to enter the U.S. market in over a decade.
Despite only achieving modest weight loss in clinical studies, the drug appeared safe enough to win the FDAs endorsement, amid calls from doctors for new weight-loss treatments.
The agency cleared the pill Wednesday for adults who are obese or are overweight with at least one medical complication, such as diabetes or high cholesterol.
The FDA denied approval for Arenas drug in 2010 after scientists raised concerns about tumors that developed in animals studied with the drug. The company resubmitted the drug with additional data earlier this year, and the FDA said there was little risk of tumors in humans.
The approval of this drug, used responsibly in combination with a healthy diet and lifestyle, provides a treatment option for Americans who are obese or are overweight and have at least one weight-related comorbid condition, said FDAs drug center director, Dr. Janet Woodcock, in a statement.
With U.S. obesity rates nearing 35 percent of the adult population, many doctors have called on the FDA to approve new weight loss treatments.
But a long line of prescription weight loss offerings have been associated with safety problems, most notably the fen-phen combination, which was linked to heart valve damage in 1997. The cocktail of phentermine and fenfluramine was a popular weight loss combination prescribed by doctors, though it was never approved by FDA.
In a rare move, the FDA explicitly stated in a press release that Belviq does not appear to activate a chemical pathway that was linked to the heart problems seen with fen-phen.
The FDA said the drug acts on a different chemical pathway in the brain, which is believed to reduce appetite by boosting feelings of satiety and fullness.
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FDA approves first new weight-loss pill in 13 years
Posted: June 28, 2012 at 11:23 am
by Associated Press
KING5.com
Posted on June 27, 2012 at 2:33 PM
Updated yesterday at 2:33 PM
WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration has approved Arena Pharmaceutical's anti-obesity pill Belviq, the first new prescription drug for long-term weight loss to enter the U.S. market in over a decade.
Despite only achieving modest weight loss in clinical studies, the drug appeared safe enough to win the FDA's endorsement, amid calls from doctors for new weight-loss treatments.
The agency cleared the pill Wednesday for adults who are obese or are overweight with at least one medical complication, such as diabetes or high cholesterol.
The FDA denied approval for Arena's drug in 2010 after scientists raised concerns about tumors that developed in animals studied with the drug. The company resubmitted the drug with additional data earlier this year, and the FDA said there was little risk of tumors in humans.
"The approval of this drug, used responsibly in combination with a healthy diet and lifestyle, provides a treatment option for Americans who are obese or are overweight and have at least one weight-related comorbid condition," said FDA's drug center director, Dr. Janet Woodcock, in a statement.
Arena and its partner Eisai Inc. of Woodcliff Lake, N.J., expect to launch the drug in early 2013.
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FDA clears first new prescription weight-loss pill in 13 years
Posted: June 28, 2012 at 11:23 am
June 27, 2012 in Health
MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer
(AP Photo/Food and Drug Administration) photo
This photo provided by Food and Drug Administration shows Arena Pharmaceuticals anti-obesity pill Belviq. The Food and Drug Administration has approved Belviq, the first new prescription drug for long-term weight loss to enter the U.S. market in over a decade. The agency cleared the pill Wednesday for adults who are obese or are overweight with at least one medical complication, such as diabetes or highcholesterol. (Full-size photo)
WASHINGTON (AP) The Food and Drug Administration has approved Arena Pharmaceuticals anti-obesity pill Belviq, the first new prescription drug for long-term weight loss to enter the U.S. market in over a decade.
Despite only achieving modest weight loss in clinical studies, the drug appeared safe enough to win the FDAs endorsement, amid calls from doctors for new weight-loss treatments.
The agency cleared the pill Wednesday for adults who are obese or are overweight with at least one medical complication, such as diabetes or high cholesterol.
The FDA denied approval for Arenas drug in 2010 after scientists raised concerns about tumors that developed in animals studied with the drug. The company resubmitted the drug with additional data earlier this year, and the FDA said there was little risk of tumors in humans.
The approval of this drug, used responsibly in combination with a healthy diet and lifestyle, provides a treatment option for Americans who are obese or are overweight and have at least one weight-related comorbid condition, said FDAs drug center director, Dr. Janet Woodcock, in a statement.
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FDA clears first new weight-loss pill in 13 years - Wed, 27 Jun 2012 PST
Posted: June 28, 2012 at 11:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration has approved Arena Pharmaceutical's anti-obesity pill Belviq, the first new prescription drug for long-term weight loss to enter the U.S. market in over a decade.
Despite only achieving modest weight loss in clinical studies, the drug appeared safe enough to win the FDA's endorsement, amid calls from doctors for new weight-loss treatments.
The agency cleared the pill Wednesday for adults who are obese or are overweight with at least one medical complication, such as diabetes or high cholesterol. The drug should be used in combination with a healthy diet and exercise.
Obesity Society President Patrick O'Neil said he's encouraged by the drug's approval because it underscores the notion that lifestyle changes alone are not enough to treat obesity.
"This is good news because it tells us that the FDA is indeed treating obesity seriously," said O'Neil, who teaches at Medical University of South Carolina and was the lead researcher on several studies of Belviq. "On the other hand, it's not the answer to the problem - or even a big part of the answer."
Even if the effects of Belviq are subtle, experts say it could be an important first step in developing new treatments that attack the underlying causes of obesity.
"The way these things tend to work is you have some people who do extremely well and other people don't lose any weight at all. But if we had 10 medicines that were all different and worked like this, we would have a real field," said Dr. Louis Aronne, director of the weight loss program at Weill-Cornell Medical College.
The FDA denied approval for Arena's drug in 2010 after scientists raised concerns about tumors that developed in animals studied with the drug. The company resubmitted the drug with additional data earlier this year, and the FDA said there was little risk of tumors in humans.
Arena and its partner Eisai Inc. of Woodcliff Lake, N.J., expect to launch the drug in early 2013.
With U.S. obesity rates nearing 35 percent of the adult population, many doctors have called on the FDA to approve new weight loss treatments.
Posted: June 28, 2012 at 11:23 am
When Mark Reichenbach's mother died in 2008, the grieving son had to rent a suit for the funeral. He didn't own one because for someone 5 feet 5 inches with a 64-inch waist, clothes were hard to find and higher priced than normal.
The rented jacket fit so poorly, he didn't wear it. "I was so embarrassed. It had big brass buttons on it; I looked like a greeter at a casino. There I was at my mother's funeral dressed like that."
That same day he vowed that nothing like that would happen to him again.
He's not sure of his exact weight at the time, but it was the largest he'd ever been. He found an adequate scale some time later: 440 pounds.
Today, Reichenbach, 43, is between 190 and 200 pounds. He lifts weights and walks for regular exercise. "I want more aerobics," he said. "I'm working not to be big, not get bigger."
At work in his job as a security officer, he walks up and down six flights of steps nine times a day.
He has incorporated more walking into his life. For example, he shops at farmers markets, which require a lot of walking.
"I used to just work and sleep," he said. "Now, I have so much energy."
He has taught himself yoga from a textbook. He jumps rope.
"I cook 90 percent of my own meals," he said. He eats mostly vegetables and fruits.
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Extreme diet helps fuel major weight loss
Posted: June 27, 2012 at 9:20 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration has approved Arena Pharmaceutical's anti-obesity pill Belviq, the first new prescription drug for long-term weight loss to enter the U.S. market in over a decade.
Despite only achieving modest weight loss in clinical studies, the drug appeared safe enough to win the FDA's endorsement, amid calls from doctors for new weight-loss treatments.
The agency cleared the pill Wednesday for adults who are obese or are overweight with at least one medical complication, such as diabetes or high cholesterol.
The FDA denied approval for Arena's drug in 2010 after scientists raised concerns about tumors that developed in animals studied with the drug. The company resubmitted the drug with additional data earlier this year, and the FDA said there was little risk of tumors in humans.
"The approval of this drug, used responsibly in combination with a healthy diet and lifestyle, provides a treatment option for Americans who are obese or are overweight and have at least one weight-related comorbid condition," said FDA's drug center director, Dr. Janet Woodcock, in a statement.
Arena and its partner Eisai Inc. of Woodcliff Lake, N.J., expect to launch the drug in early 2013.
With U.S. obesity rates nearing 35 percent of the adult population, many doctors have called on the FDA to approve new weight loss treatments.
But a long line of prescription weight loss offerings have been associated with safety problems, most notably the fen-phen combination, which was linked to heart valve damage in 1997. The cocktail of phentermine and fenfluramine was a popular weight loss combination prescribed by doctors, though it was never approved by FDA.
In a rare move, the FDA explicitly stated in a press release that Belviq "does not appear to activate" a chemical pathway that was linked to the heart problems seen with fen-phen.
The FDA said the drug acts on a different chemical pathway in the brain, which is believed to reduce appetite by boosting feelings of satiety and fullness.
Read more here:
FDA OKs new weight-loss pill
