Health Experts Say Weight Loss Pills 'Not the Answer'

San Diego, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/16/2014 -- Last Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved market release of Contrave, a new anti-obesity drug manufactured by Orexigen, a U.S. company in partnership with Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Yet the Wall Street Journal’s Chelsey Dulaney reported that, “Despite the approval, shares of Orexigen fell as much as 13% Thursday. Analysts noted that Contrave's label didn't include the interim results of a cardiovascular trial, which showed that the drug didn't dramatically increase patients' risk of a heart attack.” The drug was green-lighted after a lengthy back and forth with the FDA due to a host of side effects, ranging from hypertension to suicidal thoughts to seizures.