Research
Hormonal
Lorcaserin was withdrawn from the US market in 2020 due to an increased risk of cancer observed in clinical trials, despite showing modest weight loss efficacy.
Lorcaserin (Belviq) is no longer available in the US because it was linked to a higher risk of cancer. Do not seek this medication.
StrongRefutesVERY_HIGH confidence
Very recently, on February 13, 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration requested withdrawal of lorcaserin from the market because a safety clinical trial showed an increased occurrence of cancer.
Why this rating
Based on FDA action and specific clinical trial data cited.
Source
Anti-Obesity Drugs: Long-Term Efficacy and Safety: An Updated Review
Young Jin Tak et al. · The World Journal of Men s Health · 2020
DOI 10.5534/wjmh.200010
narrative_reviewCited 174×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Anti-obesity drugs (phentermine/topiramate, liraglutide, naltrexone/bupropion, lorcaserin, orlistat) produce clinically significant weight loss (2.9% to 6.8% placebo-subtracted) over 12+ months, but require careful risk-benefit assessment due to adverse effects and high cost.Good
- Phentermine/topiramate ER produces the highest placebo-subtracted weight loss (6.8%) among approved anti-obesity drugs, with significant improvements in cardiovascular risk factors.Good
- Liraglutide (3.0 mg) produces significant weight loss (-5.4% placebo-subtracted) and improves cardiovascular risk factors, but has a high discontinuation rate due to gastrointestinal side effects.Good
Related findings · Hormonal
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- For patients with specific monogenic obesity syndromes (leptin deficiency, POMC/PCSK1/LEPR mutations), targeted pharmacotherapy (recombinant leptin or setmelanotide) is highly effective and should be prioritized, unlike in polygenic obesity.Strong
- Continued weekly administration of 2.4 mg subcutaneous semaglutide prevents weight regain and promotes further weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity, whereas switching to placebo results in significant weight regain.Strong
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