Health
No quick drug cure expected for obesity
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By WEI YU
Capital News Service
LANSING – Two new obesity drugs are awaiting approval from the Food and Drug Administration, but federal advisers say Qnexa and Lorcaserin should undergo clinical trials to ensure there are no heart-risks. According to the Department of Community Health, Michigan has the 10th highest rate of obesity in the United States. Thirty percent of adults were obese and about one in six children aged 2 to 5 were obese or overweight in 2010. “It is necessary to initiate clinical trials of the new drugs,” said Tom Rifai, medical director of metabolic nutrition and weight management at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac.