CAMELLIA Adds To Belviq’s CV Confidence But ‘Caution’ Still Needed

28 Aug 2018

Full results from a large cardiovascular outcomes study with Belviq show the Eisai/Arena obesity drug was not associated with higher such risk versus placebo, but neither did it show benefits in reducing major CV events, leaving uncertainty over its increased uptake amid lingering issues around diabetes and valvulopathy risks.

Eisai Co. Ltd./Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s obesity drug Belviq (lorcaserin HCl) has been confirmed not to increase the risk of cardiovascular events in newly released detailed results from the CAMELLIA-TIMI 61 CV outcomes study, meeting the US FDA-mandated criteria for CV safety.

But while the 5-hydroxytryptamine serotonin 2C receptor agonist, approved for weight loss in the US in mid-2012, showed clear weight...