Americans Go Abroad for Obesity Drug
By Brandon Keim
June 11, 2007
The FDA is under public pressure to slow down its drug approval process and ensure that new drugs are safe -- but plenty of people are willing to jump the gun and take Acomplia, a diet pill.
People are traveling to Europe or buying the medicine through foreign Web sites after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration postponed a decision three times in 16 months. A panel of advisers to the agency will meet this week to review the drug, the first of its type that blocks hunger receptors in the brain. [...]
The FDA panel must decide whether Acomplia's benefits -- reducing weight, cholesterol and blood sugar -- outweigh its risks. Clinical tests show the drug, which acts on the brain, can cause anxiety and depression. Analysts say the panel may be cautious about approving it without seeing more studies.
It'd be fascinating to know how many of these volunteer guinea pigs are simultaneously outraged when a drug fast-tracked by the FDA turns out to have unforeseen risks.