Mid-dose Qnexa: 7.5 mg Phentermine plus 46 mg Topamax causes weight loss of 8.4% vs 1.8% w/placebo

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Wednesday, September 09, 2009 12:10 pm Email this article
Overweight and obese patients given the Mid-dose of Qnexa, containing 7.5 mg of phentermine plus 46 mg of Topamax (topiramate), lost an average weight loss of roughly 19 pounds versus 5 pounds with placebo after one year, or 8.4 percent of body weight versus 1.8 percent with placebo according to a press release from press release from Vivus, Inc, the company developing the drug. Weight Loss for Those Who Completed the Study

Weight Loss for Those Who Completed the Study : 10.5% vs 2.4%

Sixty-nine percent (69 percent) of those given the mid-dose Qnexa completed the entire one-year study.

The average weight loss for the “completers” was 24 pounds or 10.5 percent of body weight versus 6 pounds or 2.4 percent of those given the placebo.

 

Subjects

Subjects: 2487 overweight and obese patients

“The CONQUER study included 2,487 overweight and obese patients (1,737 females and 750 males) with high blood pressure, high cholesterol or type 2 diabetes across 93 centers in the United States” the press release notes.

The number on each dose of the drug was as follows:

• 979 on placebo
• 488 on Low Dose Qnexa (7.5 mg phentermine / 46 mg controlled release topiramate (Topamax))

 

Body Weight

Starting body weight: 227 lbs

The average starting body weight was 227 pounds.

 

BMI

Starting BMI: 36.6

The average starting body mass index (BMI) was 36.6.

 

Dose

Dose slowly increased over one month

The dose was slowly increased (titrated) over four weeks.

 

Diet

Diet: Patients suggested to reduce calorie intake by 500 calories per day

Patients were asked to follow a diet that was reduced by 500 calories per day.

 

Conclusion

Conclusion: Weight loss with drug combination exceeds other agents

“The weight loss observed with Qnexa in these two one-year, double-blind, randomized trials far exceeds the weight loss observed for other agents reported in literature,” said Kishore Gadde, MD, director of obesity clinical trials at Duke University and a lead investigator.

REFERENCE

Vivus. Vivus announces positive results from two phase 3 studies; obese patients on qnexa achieve average weight loss up to 14.7% and significant improvements in co-morbidities. Press Release from Vivus Inc. 2009 Sept 09, http://ir.vivus.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=407933

Articles on the same subject can be found here:

• Phentermine

• Qsymia (phentermine and topiramate) (formerly Qnexa)

• Topamax (topiramate)

• YouTube videos