New Weight Loss Drug On the Horizon
There’s a new diet pill on the horizon and it’s called Lorcaserin, made by Arena Pharmecuticals. Yesterday Arena announced that its new drug had passed a second round of safety tests, this time specifically looking for any problems with the heart’s valves.
Lorcaserin works by triggering the same part of the brain that the infamous drug fen-phen did — by targeting a receptor that makes you feel full, and theoretically less likely to snack afterwards.
The big problem was that the "fen" part of fen-phen (fenfluramine) was implicated in damaging the heart’s vavles. Arena didn’t want to take that chance, so decided on conducting a safety study lasting 12 months.
Now you can read the whole article here, but before you start counting your pennies, this drug is still on the horizon and hasn’t gone to the FDA yet — Arena is hoping to do that next year. So with any kind of luck, you won’t need this drug, as you’ll have lost the weight you need before then! 
A lot of the biotech companies are jumping on the obesity-drug bandwagon. Not only does Arena have Lorcaserin, but Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Orexigen Therapeutics are also rushing to get new diet drugs to market.
But before you take any kind of prescription medication, really think about it. They aren’t just something to take because they are advertised to be a magic bullet. Not to mention they are expensive and your insurance may not cover the costs.
But for some people, these weight loss drugs are heaven-sent, and they provide that little extra that keeps them on a diet.
So, keep your eyes and ears peeled for more weight-control drugs in the near future.