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All medications from licensed pharmacies
GPhC reg. no. 1120610
All medications from licensed pharmacies
GPhC reg. no. 1120610
Contrave is a new weight-loss medication, which has been developed by the American pharmaceutical company Orexigen Therapeutics. It has not been licenced for use in Europe and a decision about whether it will be approved will be unlikely to occur before the end of 2014.
Contrave has two active ingredients. The first is a medication that is already used as a smoking cessation aid and as an antidepressant, Bupropio. The second is a drug called Naltrexone, which is commonly prescribed as an anti-addiction medication.
It is thought that Bupropion works by increasing the levels of dopamine in the brain. This causes a reduction in appetite and also makes the body burn more energy.
Naltrexone works by making certain foods, particularly those high in sugar, taste less appetising.
An initial clinical trial for Contrave had disappointing results with patients losing, on average, only 4.2 per cent of their body weight. For a drug to be considered as a weight loss medication in the States there has to be a loss of at least 5 per cent.
A second trial gave better results with 48 per cent and 56.3 per cent of the two trial groups losing at least 5 per cent of their body weight.
As with all medications that have to be obtained by prescription, Contrave has reported side effects, though these appeared to be very rare.
The most serious side effects from taking Contrave were seizures and gall bladder infection though only two patients suffered these complaints. One patient had an increased heart rate, one suffered with vertigo and another with poor circulation.
Headaches, constipation and nausea were the most commonly reported side effects.
No, Contrave does not have a licence in the USA or in Europe so it is not available anywhere at the current moment in time.
It is not expected to be licenced in the UK until, at the earliest, the beginning of 2015.
