Blog

Weight loss is a hot subject across the country, and in actuality, the world. The perfect pill has been sought after for decades to help men and women lose weight in a safe and effective manner. Due to the imperfect nature of science, many pills have come and gone, with some taking the lives of thousands who only wanted to look and feel great by shedding unneeded pounds. The FDA approaches every new medication that is presented to the agency with a lot of caution given the sullied history of the weight loss pill market as well as wanting to make sure that the public is kept safe at all times. To this end, it did not approve a weight loss pill for over a decade until one pill that could came into the market. Belviq, or Lorcaserin was the first pill that was approved by the FDA after 12 long years. However, the celebration soon turned into a nightmare when it was discovered that Belviq was not the safe or perfect drug that it was promoted as by its maker, Eisai.

How Does Belviq Work?

Belviq is a serotonin receptor agonist which seeks to trigger satiety by increasing the levels of serotonin in the brain and stomach. When satiety is primed, people will eat less, thereby losing weight over an extended period of time. In addition, Belviq shuts off certain chemical reactions in the gastrointestinal system that are responsible for letting the brain know that it is time to eat, such as the production of the hormone leptin.

Belviq was initially made by Arena Pharmaceuticals, a Switzerland-based company for many years before being acquired by Eisai Inc. in January 2017. From its acquisition until 2020, it was sold by the Japanese/US-based Company until an FDA recall alert led to the pulling of the blockbuster weight loss drug in February 2020.

Belviq Records Massive Profits

Let’s go all the way back to 2012, when the FDA approved the drug for use as a weight loss aid in addition to exercise and diet for individuals suffering from obesity as well as hypertension and type 2 diabetes, comorbidities that are often seen in overweight individuals. It was marketed and sold by Eisai Inc. upon its acquisition, making the company $31.5 million and $42.2 million in sales in the U.S. and Japan respectively.

In early 2020, the FDA released communication alleging to a possible link between the weight loss drug Belviq and cancer. Just one month later, it published information on a study that showed increased cancer incidence in 12,000 patients that had taken the drug in a double-blind, placebo controlled study. This then led to an official FDA recall as well as its pulling down from shelves across the world.

Here are the types of cancers tied to Belviq

• Pancreatic cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Lung cancer

Individuals who are eligible to file a Belviq lawsuit must have taken Belviq for a cumulative six months which do not have to be consecutive. In addition, they should have taken the drug within 7 years of being diagnosed with the cancers mentioned above. Another prerequisite for filing a Belviq cancer lawsuit is that the cancer must have come from the colon, pancreas or lung, and not from other organs to these three areas.

If you lost a loved one to cancer you suspect was caused by Belviq, you only have 1.5 years to speak with a Belviq cancer attorney in order to preserve the validity of your claim. Last, but not least, keep all your medical records in one place as the cancer diagnosis and treatment records will play a key role in the determination of the value of your case.

Arena Pharmaceuticals Seeks Belviq FDA Approval

Back in 2009, Arena Pharmaceuticals submitted a request with the FDA that sought to approve Belviq for the American market. The request referenced eighteen clinical trials which involved close to nine thousands patients. About a year later, the FDA reverted with a decision not to approve Belviq due to the lack of sufficient scientific data on brain and breast tumors seen in rats that were part of an animal study, and that the agency needed to further examine samples of animal tissue extensively.

FDA Asks About Belviq and Glandular Cancer Risk

What’s however interesting is that the FDA looked into the possibility of Belviq was linked to adenocarcinoma, which are cancers that typically start in glandular tissue that is typically seen in the lung, pancreas, breast, colon, prostate and the rectum. All this information was withheld from the public, and the animal studies were in a sense foreshadowing what would later come to pass in 2020 when it was discovered that Belviq could indeed cause certain glandular cancers.

Belviq Safety Studies Reveal Unsettling Revelation  

Belviq was only approved by the FDA back in 2012 contingent on the carrying out of long-term scientific safety studies in order to determine the risk profile associated with the weight-loss pill. However, upon completion of the study in 2018, a different theme appeared when it was shown that Belviq had the propensity to cause certain cancers compared to placebo.

If you’ve taken Belviq for over 6 months at any time and then went on to be diagnosed with cancer, we’d like to help. You may be eligible for compensation when you file a Belviq cancer lawsuit. The damages included can be loss of wages, pain and suffering, cost of present and future medical care, and legal bills.

Belviq Cancer Attorneys – Reach Out Today

McCready Law is a premier, experienced class action lawsuit firm that handles bad drug claims across the country. With over 90 years of collective legal experience, we’re the Belviq lawsuit attorneys to count on to provide you with a favorable outcome. It is important to ACT FAST as these cases move through the court systems with lightning speed. Please give us a call NOW at (773) 673-9861 to learn more about how we can help you get compensated if you developed cancer while or after taking Belviq.  The call is ABSOLUTELY FREE, and we work on a contingency fee basis which basically means you don’t pay us a cent to file a claim until we win your case for you. We look forward to hearing from you.