A pill that is a combination of two drugs used to treat addiction may have promise in helping people lose weight. A report published in The Lancet, the journal of the British Medical Association, says that Naltrexone and bupropion resulted in greater weight loss that just diet and exercise.
One expert, Professor Nick Finer of the University College London, said the drug may be more useful if the researchers can identify exactly who would benefit from the drug. In the study, 1,700 overweight and obese adults were offered a weight loss program with diet and exercise advice. Two-thirds of the study participants were also given the combination treatment in two doses. A third of the study participants were given a placebo twice a day.
Only half of the study participants completed the yearlong trial. Those taking the treatment lost an average of five to six percent of the weight depending on the dose. Those in the placebo group of the study lost only 1.3 percent.
The researchers said if only those who completed the trial were included, their weight loss was eiht percent for those on the anti-addiction drugs.
The drug is designed to target the regions of the brain that control appetite and reward. The treatment will be marketed as Contrave. It is currently under investigation to see if it will be licensed in the United States.
Professor Frank Greenway from Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana led the study. He said that although five percent might not appear to be a significant weight loss, it would make a real difference to a person’s health.
"I think the weight loss we saw was significant even if it might not be as much as many people would like to see," Greenway said.
