Belviq cancer risk alert issued by FDA

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an alert over the results from a clinical trial showing a possible increased risk of cancer with the weight management drug Belviq/Belviq XR (lorcaserin).

Belviq, which is sold in the USA by Japanese drugmaker Eisai (TYO: 4523), was approved by the FDA in 2012 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.

The product, which works by increasing feelings of fullness so that less food is eaten, was approved on the condition that a trial be carried out to evaluate the risk of heart-related problems.