WASHINGTON,
In
what could be hailed as a pharmaceutical triple crown, the antidepressant
and smoking cessation drug bupropion SR has shown promising weight
loss effects in nondepressed patients. At the 152nd Annual Meeting
of the American Psychiatric Association, Duke University Medical
Center psychiatrist Kishore Gadde, MD, presented results from
a pilot trial. "The drug group lost four times more weight than
the placebo group," Dr. Gadde told Medcast News Networks. "The
results were much more exciting than we expected initially."
The
eight week, randomized, double-blind study involved 50 obese women,
aged 24-51 years, who received bupropion or placebo while restricted
to a 1,600 calorie diet. Bupropion showed a striking impact on
weight loss in subjects who both dropped out of the eight week
study, and those that completed it.
Women
taking bupropion lost up to four times more weight compared with
the placebo group. Among the women who completed the trial, 67%
lost more than 5% of their body weight with the drug, compared
to 15% of placebo recipients. The only side effect reported was
dry mouth.
The
women who completed the study on bupropion lost an average of
13.7 lbs of their original weight, compared to 3.4 lbs for those
taking the placebo. 32% of placebo patients withdrew from the
study, but only 4% of bupropion takers withdrew.
But Gadde refrained from offering clinicians any go-aheads for
practice. "It's not indicated for weight loss. Until we have results
replicated in a large, placebo-controlled study, I'm not recommending
it," he told Medcast.
In
a statement issued by Duke University, Gadde noted, "Since the
withdrawal of fenfluramine (phen-fen) and dexfenfluramine (redux),
there has been a great need for effective medications." He told
Medcast that it's difficult to compare bupropion to other obesity
medications, since no direct comparison studies have been conducted.
But he ventured, "It's certainly at least as good as some of the
other weight loss drugs."
How
the drug works in controlling obesity is an unknown factor. "We
don't know -- it's not entirely appetite suppression that's happening,"
says Gadde. "Subjects on the drug say satisfaction from eating
food is achieved with small portions."
Glaxo Wellcome, the maker of bupropion SR, is partially funding
the research.
Medcast, based in Atlanta, provides breaking medical news, education
and other vital information electronically every morning to physicians
throughout the United States. The editorial staff numbers more
than 50 professionals -- including eight with MDs -- making it
the nation's largest medical news organization. SOURCE Medcast
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