Lorcaserin

WikiDoc Resources for Lorcaserin
Articles
Most recent articles on Lorcaserin Most cited articles on Lorcaserin Review articles on Lorcaserin Articles on Lorcaserin in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ
Media
Powerpoint slides on Lorcaserin Images of Lorcaserin Photos of Lorcaserin Podcasts & MP3s on Lorcaserin Videos on Lorcaserin
Evidence Based Medicine
Cochrane Collaboration on Lorcaserin Bandolier on Lorcaserin TRIP on Lorcaserin
Clinical Trials
Ongoing Trials on Lorcaserin at Clinical Trials.gov Trial results on Lorcaserin Clinical Trials on Lorcaserin at Google
Guidelines / Policies / Govt
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Lorcaserin NICE Guidance on Lorcaserin NHS PRODIGY Guidance FDA on Lorcaserin CDC on Lorcaserin
Books
Books on Lorcaserin
News
Lorcaserin in the news Be alerted to news on Lorcaserin News trends on Lorcaserin
Commentary
Blogs on Lorcaserin
Definitions
Definitions of Lorcaserin
Patient Resources / Community
Patient resources on Lorcaserin Discussion groups on Lorcaserin Patient Handouts on Lorcaserin Directions to Hospitals Treating Lorcaserin Risk calculators and risk factors for Lorcaserin
Healthcare Provider Resources
Symptoms of Lorcaserin Causes & Risk Factors for Lorcaserin Diagnostic studies for Lorcaserin Treatment of Lorcaserin
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
CME Programs on Lorcaserin
International
Lorcaserin en Espanol Lorcaserin en Francais
Business
Lorcaserin in the Marketplace Patents on Lorcaserin
Experimental / Informatics
List of terms related to Lorcaserin

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

Lorcaserin is a weight-loss drug developed by Arena Pharmaceuticals. It has serotonergic properties and acts as an anorectic. On 27 June 2012, the FDA officially approved lorcaserin for use in the treatment of obesity for adults with a BMI equal to or greater than 30 or adults with a BMI of 27 or greater who "have at least one weight-related health condition, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol".

Mechanism of action

Lorcaserin is a selective 5-HT_2C receptor agonist and in vitro testing of the drug showed reasonable selectivity for 5-HT_2C over other related targets.

5-HT_2C receptors are located almost exclusively in the brain, and can also be found in the choroid plexus, cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, amygdala, thalamus, and hypothalamus.

The activation of 5-HT_2C receptors in the hypothalamus is supposed to activate proopiomelanocortin (POMC) production and consequently promote weight loss through satiety. This hypothesis is supported by clinical trials and other studies.

Side effects

Lorcaserin was approximately as tolerable as placebo in Phase III, with 7% of participants in both the lorcaserin drug and placebo arms dropping out due to side effects.

The side effects noted with the drug compared to placebo are as follows:

Side effects	Placebo (%)	Drug arm (%)
Headache (most common)	11	18
Upper respiratory tract infection	11.9	14.8
Nasopharyngitis	12.0	13.4
Nausea	5.4	7.5