Eisai Inc has received exclusive rights to market and distribute Lorcaserin in the US from Arena Pharmaceuticals GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arena Pharmaceuticals.
Eisai said that the Lorcaserin BLOOM study demonstrated greater weight loss and improved maintenance of weight loss compared to placebo. Lorcaserin also improved values for biomarkers that may be predictive of future cardiovascular events, including lipid levels, insulin resistance, levels of inflammatory markers and blood pressure.
The BLOOM trial was a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lorcaserin patients who completed the trial lost 8.2% of the body weight, or about 8.2kg, as compared to 3.2%, or about 3.2kg, in the placebo group.
Eisai added that Lorcaserin also decreased waist circumference, BMI, glycemic parameters, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and fibrinogen levels compared to placebo. Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels at Year 1 were also lower in the Lorcaserin group than in the placebo group. Lorcaserin did not increase heart rate or blood pressure; rather, heart rate, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure decreased slightly.