UPDATE: “FDA requests the withdrawal of the weight-loss drug Belviq, Belviq XR (lorcaserin) from the market” (2-13-2020 FDA Drug Safety Communication)
“Potential risk of cancer outweighs the benefits“
- Imbalances in specific cancers including pancreatic, colorectal, and lung contributed to the observed overall imbalance in cancer cases.
(2/13/20)
An FDA Belviq cancer warning alert, “Belviq, Belviq XR (lorcaserin): Drug Safety Communication – Due to Possible Increased Risk of Cancer”, was issued on January 14, 2020. Belviq and Belviq XR are approved by FDA for use with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity to help weight loss in adults who are obese or are overweight and have weight-related medical problems.
This contextual information for this FDA Belviq cancer warning alert is provided by a related FDA document, “Safety clinical trial shows possible increased risk of cancer with weight-loss medicine Belviq, Belviq XR (lorcaserin)”:
When approving [Belviq], we required the drug manufacturer, Eisai Inc., to conduct a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the risk of heart-related problems. In this trial, which was conducted in approximately 12,000 participants over 5 years, more patients taking [Belviq] were diagnosed with cancer compared to patients taking placebo, which is an inactive treatment. Our evaluation of this potential signal is ongoing, and at this time it is uncertain if [Belviq] increases the risk of cancer.
We will watch for any further FDA action as regards Belviq and report significant developments here.
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