by Consumer Reports and Connie Thompson
Contrave weight loss pills (Photo: Screen shot from website)
You may have seen the television commercials for the prescription weight-loss pill Contrave.
Contrave is the combination of two older drugs: the antidepressant bupropion and the addiction-treatment drug naltrexone.
Its ads say the drug works on the brain to reduce hunger and control cravings. The Food and Drug Administration approved Contrave is for people with a body mass index of 27 or higher and who also suffer from serious conditions, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or type-two diabetes.
The commercial cites studies in which patients took Contrave in addition to diet and exercise. The patients lost approximately two to four times more weight than those who did diet and exercise alone.
However, a Consumer Reports analysis of the three clinical trials used to gain FDA approval of the drug shows the drug works but the amount of additional weight loss is small and could pose serious health risks.
In addition to anxiety, insomnia and headaches, Contrave can cause serious health problems, such as liver damage, seizures, increased blood pressure and possible heart risks.
The people who took it up to 56 weeks lost only five to nine pounds more on average than those who took a placebo.
Consumer Reports advises consumers to speak with their doctor about the risks and different weight-loss options. Consumer Reports health experts say it is best to lose weight the safer, proven way - by eating less and exercising.
If you've been unable to lose weight on your own, ask your doctor about intensive behavioral programs that have at least 12 sessions a year and include multiple strategies to help you switch to a healthier diet and increase physical activity.
Manufacturer's response
I reached out to the makers of Contrave for their comments on Consumer Reports' analysis.
I received the following response from a representative at Orexigen Therapeutics:
Consumer Reports is an outstanding service to the American public but, as a representative of Orexigen Therapeutics, we believe there area few key areas that may be missing some data and context.
From a data perspective, Contrave has a well-studied safety and tolerability profile. The efficacy results presented in the Consumer Reports article focus on the intention-to-treat population data, including patients who discontinued study medication and non-responders.
Our mission, and what drives the actions we take as an organization, is to help improve the health and lives of patients struggling to lose weight.
People who are overweight or obese often blame themselves for having a lack of willpower or discipline to lose weight. While diet and exercise are crucial and fundamental components of any weight management plan -diet and exercise alone doesnt work for everyone. We now understand that the brain plays a role in weight loss as it controls hunger and cravings. Contrave, which is believed to work on the hunger and cravings centers of the brain, is an FDA approved weight loss medication to be used in combination with diet and exercise.
It is a combination of two medicines that have been used clinically for decades. With over 10 years of clinical development experience and over 10,000 patients studied in clinical trials we have a very clear understanding of the risk-benefit profile of Contrave.
Medical weight-loss may not be appropriate for everyone, but with about 110 million adults who are obese or overweight in the US population we believe Contrave represents an important therapeutic tool to put in the hands of physicians. We want patients to engage with physicians to discuss what works best for them.
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Consumer Reports reviews Contrave weight loss pill - KOMO News
