Diet drugs could be scarce

FDA

The Food and Drug Administration has approved two new diet drugs, but both have restrictions about who can -- or should -- take them.

By Maggie Fox, NBC News

The Food and Drug Administration has approved two new diet pills in a week -- the first new obesity drugs to be approved in 13 years. The agency, usually dry about its approvals, practically gushed about the pent-up demand for new obesity treatments in a country where more than two-thirds of the population is overweight or obese and steadily getting fatter.

These prescription medications would be taken for the rest of a persons life, the FDA says on its website.

For many people, obesity is a life-long condition, but we dont always think of it -- or treat it -- as such, said Dr. Amy Egan, deputy director for safety in FDAs Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products

But dont expect to be able to get either drug easily.Each ofthe new drugs -- Belviq and Qsymia -- is being restricted in a different way. And consumer advocates say dieters should think twice about taking either.

The FDA was so worried about Belviq, approved last week, that it has asked for the Drug Enforcement Administration to control its use, like it does opiate painkillers. The DEA must now decide what restrictions to put on the pills, a process Belviqs maker, Arena, says could take several months.

Qsymia, approved on Tuesday, wont have these restrictions. But the FDA and drugmaker Vivus have worked out a plan to try to ensure that doctors dont start running diet pill-mills.

The only way the doctors will be able to prescribe Qsymia is through a certified pharmacy, Vivus vice president Dr. Barbara Troupin said in an interview. That means they wont be able to stock it themselves -- and theyll be barraged with educational materials, Troupin said.

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Diet drugs could be scarce