Symlin (pramlintide) injections cause weight loss of 7.9 lbs in six months vs 4.6 lbs with placebo

Diabetic patients using subcutaneous injections of Symlin (pramlintide), as well as diet, exercise and lifestyle changes, lost an average of 7.9 pounds in six months versus 4.6 pounds in those given injections of a placebo according to a new study from the makers of Symlin (pramlintide).

Subjects

Subjects: 61 patients in the Symlin (pramlintide) group; 63 in the placebo group

The study involved 61 patients in the Symlin (pramlintide) group, and 63 in the placebo group.

Most of the subjects were women—7 men and 54 women in the Symlin (pramlintide) group; 8 men and 55 women in the placebo group.

Weight Loss

Body Weight: 235 lbs in Symlin (pramlintide) group; 224 lbs in placebo group

Body weight dropped from an average of 235 lbs to 227 lbs after six months in the Symlin (pramlintide) group, and dropped from an average of 224 lbs to 219 lbs in the placebo group.

The weight loss represented 3.7% of body weight in the Symlin (pramlintide) group vs 2.2% in placebo group.

Dose

Dose: 120 μg injections three times per day

The dose used was 120 μg subcutaneous injections three times per day.

Adverse Effects of

Adverse effects: Nausea was the most common side effect of Symlin (pramlintide), occurring in roughly one-third of patients

Nausea was the most common side effect of Symlin (pramlintide), occurring in roughly 23% to 34% of patients in each group.

Those who experienced nausea from the Symlin (pramlintide) lost less weight than those who did not experience nausea.

Therefore, nausea was not responsible for the weight loss.

Headache was also more common in those given Symlin (pramlintide), occurring in 16 patients in the Symlin (pramlintide) group vs 5 patients in the placebo group.

Anxiety and depression were slightly more common in those given Symlin (pramlintide) compared to placebo.

5.5% given Symlin (pramlintide) reported anxiety versus 4.3% in the placebo group.

5.2% given Symlin (pramlintide) reported depression versus 3.1% in the placebo group.

Conflict of Interest for the Authors

4 of 5 authors work for, or have worked for the company and own the companies stock; 5 author has been paid by numerous drug companies

All of the authors of the study have financial conflicts of interest.

(This is true of nearly ALL drug studies today. Nearly all researching doing drug research and writing papers have been paid by the drug company or multiple drug companies. Therefore, it is safest to assume that they are presenting all of the data in as favorable light as possible.)

Four of the five authors are employees of the company, or were employes of the company, and own stock in the company.

The fifth author has been paid by numerous drug companies and has served as a consultant for the maker of Symlin (pramlintide), Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

REFERENCE

Aronne LJ, Halseth A, Burns C, Miller S, Shen L. Enhanced weight loss following coadministration of pramlintide with sibutramine or phentermine in a multicenter trial. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010 Sep, 18(9):1739-46.

AUTHOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION

Larry Z. Shen
Weill Cornell Medical College
New York, New York, USA

Articles on the same subject can be found here:

• Diabetes

• Symlin (pramlintide)