In June, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved a new weight loss drug. Now in July, they’ve approved another. At this rate, we hypnotherapists won’t need to use hypnosis to help with weight loss, because there will be a pill for every situation. 🙂
Qsymia is a combination of two drugs: a stimulant and an anti-seizure drug. If that dazzling combo doesn’t make America want to go and buy it, don’t worry as I’m sure the marketing team will come up with something great. They’ve got some brilliant people on those teams, and I’m not kidding.
And they’ll need to come up with something great. Consumer Reports recently put out a brief article on the dangers of this drug. In fact, Qsymia will only be available at special pharmacies to help reduce the risk of patients having babies with birth defects.
http://news.consumerreports.org/health/2012/07/fda-approves-weight-loss-drug-qsymia-but-we-say-skip-it.html
Weight loss hypnotherapy is more work for clients than popping a pill. But when a pill has all these risks, I can only say be careful. Maybe I’m an old-fashioned guy who’s uncomfortable with too much deregulation. But after reading Consumer Reports’ article, it seems to me that if a drug has so many red flags and can’t be sold in regular pharmacies, maybe, just maybe, the FDA could have declined approval to Vivus, the manufacturer of Qsymia.
Maybe the FDA could be like the strong but fair-minded teacher I had growing up in North Carolina. I was lucky to live in North Carolina growing up next to a wilderness area, with a chance to explore and enjoy nature without my parents worrying about where I was. Okay, time to leave the past and get back to the present. The FDA could say, “Vivus, y’all made a wonderful little drug! I’m so proud of you! Your kid Qsymia did help some people lose weight, no doubt about that.
“Before we let your kid go out and play with the public, I’m gonna ask that y’ll make some tiny changes. What changes? Well, reduce the chance of birth defects, heart attacks and stroke, just small changes. If y’all do that, I bet we could get your kid out playing in no time.”
I wish my old teacher from North Carolina could talk to the drug companies. She could help persuade them to put out safer drugs. And even if she couldn’t, she’d be so charming, that an FDA rejection might sting them a little less. Hmmm… I must be a little nostalgic for North Carolina, tonight.