Tag Archives: qsymia

Weight Watchers is the Best Diet Deal at $377 to Lose 5 Pounds

weight loss cost

Want to kickstart your weight loss journey but unsure where to begin? A new study suggests that Weight Watchers diet program and the weight loss drug Qsymia may give you the best bang for your buck.

ABC News aired a story about Duke University comparing the costs and effectiveness of three diet programs and three weight loss prescription medications. Weight Watchers came out on top with the price of $155 per kilogram lost (2.2 pounds).

“If you are about to embark on a major weight loss attempt, there is more than just the number on the scale to consider. You want to make your money matter,” says ABC News’ senior medical contributor Dr. Jennifer Ashton.

The average annual cost of Weight Watchers was $377, and users lost an average of 5.3 pounds, according to the study. Our resident nutrition expert, Mary Hartley, RD, comments that as diet plans go, “Weight Watchers is good for providing peer support, basic nutrition education, and flexibility to individualize food selections.” Though she warns that it is still a “diet” with the external focus of translating food into other quantifiable values.

This means people have two different mentalities of what they can eat when they are either “on the diet” or “off the diet,” and Hartley is “never impressed by weight loss that is only to be regained.” (more…)

Posted on July 29, 2023 by Katie McGrath

Adipotide Obesity Drug in Clinical Trials, Side Effects and Effectiveness Still in Question

News of a new weight loss drug called Adipotide surfaced early last year, but there haven’t been many updates since July regarding the status of the drug’s development. As reports suggest, Adipotide is still in trial phase being tested in clinical studies on humans. If approved, it would join Qsymia, Belviq and several others in the ‘miracle’ weight loss prescription drug line-up.

Adipotide was created by Dr. Wadih Arap and Renata Pasqualini as a form of cancer treatment as it was designed to starve cancer cells of blood supply prohibit them from growing. However, the effects of Adipotide have actually shown it starves fat cells of blood, which forces them to die and be reabsorbed into the body.

Though successful initial trials have been completed on rats and monkeys, some negative side effects have been noted, including dehydration and small kidney lesions that left untreated could lead to kidney failure.

Diets in Review resident pharmacist Dr. Sarah G Khan reports that Adipotide will be marketed as an injection into the subcutaneous layer of the skin, administered directly into the fat. While this may seem more effective, she believes this could be a potential downside as this method is not as user friendly. (more…)

Posted on January 2, 2024 by Dana

Qsymia Sales Increasing, but Support Still Varies

The new weight loss pill Qsymia may have started off with slow sales, but it has started to see those numbers rise. Prescriptions filled for the recently approved weight loss drug have climbed to about 2,000 prescriptions per week.

Qsymia was the first weight loss drug approved by the FDA in 13 years when it got the OK this summer. It was approved for adults with a BMI of 30 or more – categorizing them as obese – and for those with a BMI of 27 or more who have been diagnosed with at least one obesity-related illness, such as high cholesterol or type 2 diabetes. The pill, which went on sale this past September, was made to suppress the appetite and cause weight loss – as much as 10 percent body fat – for obese individuals. It’s combined with phentermine and topiramate, which are two different drugs made to suppress the appetite and give more of a full feeling in the stomach. Qsymia is prescribed to be combined with regular exercise and a healthy, calorie reduced diet. Whether it’s a miracle drug or a disaster varies from person to person. (more…)

Posted on December 26, 2023 by Danielle

The 6 Miracle Diets Dr. Oz Tried to Sell Us in 2024

Many of us will never live to see a true miracle. Dr. Oz apparently found six this year alone!

Dr. Oz had another banner year on his talk show as he brought the latest and greatest health news to our living rooms each afternoon. The only rub is that some of us are questioning the good doctor and what he’s calling healthy advice these days. It seems Dr. Oz may have become more of a talk show host than a well-intentioned physician. This year, especially, the show constantly doled out miracle diet advice. While weight loss is at the top of our health concerns, it seemed the doctor derailed from prescribing trustworthy weight loss guidance to endorsements for every fad that would ultimately yield no life change, just money spent and potential side-effects.

These are the miracle diet cures (his words, not ours) that Dr. Oz unleashed on us this year. It might be more accurate to call them scams.

Raspberry Ketones

These little supplements were touted as a revolutionary metabolism booster and the compounds, typically used as food flavorings, have been purposed for weight loss supplements in Japan. Dr. Oz endorsed raspberry ketones as an effective weight loss tool as well. The theory behind the ketones is that that they alter lipid metabolism, claims found from a study in mice. The mouse with the high fat diet and the supplement gained less body fat than expected. Raspberry ketones have not yet been tested on humans. (more…)

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Lacy

Qsymia Sales Prove Disappointing Thus Far

Vivus Inc. has released a diet pill called Qsymia – one of only two diet pills (the other being Belviq) to be released in the last 13 years. Vivus applied intense pressure on the FDA earlier this year to approve the obesity-targeted drug for for the two-thirds of Americans who have a body fat percentage high enough make them obese.

The problem? Qsymia shares were down 24 percent on Tuesday. Since their launch mid-September, they’ve only seen $41,000 in sales. Analysts were expecting around $310,000 by this point.

Vivus Inc. Chief Commercial Officer Mike Miller stated his concern over the pill’s insurance coverage.

“About 30 percent of patients chose not to fill after receiving a [Qsymia] prescription due to cash outlay,” he said. “The average retail price for the patient for 30 days or the recommended dose is approximately $160. Currently, we’re seeing one out of five [patients] being covered by third-party insurance with an average co-pay of $62.” (more…)

Posted on November 7, 2023 by Danielle

Belviq and Qsymia, New FDA-Approved Weight Loss Drugs, on The Doctors

The Doctors investigate some weighty topics on their show today, including what they think about the new FDA-approved weight loss pills. The pills, Belviq and Qsymia, are the first to be approved by the government administration since 1999. Dr. Travis talks about their efficacy and side effects to determine whether he thinks they are safe or not.

Then, The Doctors turn to the deadly meningitis outbreak. They discuss how it happened, the signs and symptoms, and what to do if you think you may be infected. (more…)

Posted on October 16, 2023 by SarahS

HealthBuzz July 20: Qsymia Approved, Beige Fat Discovered, and Summer Breakfast Ideas

It’s that time of the week again, the end of it! There is nothing we look forward to more than the weekend. But before we dive in to weekend mode take some time for a dose of healthy news from DIR and our friends. We also have yummy recipes for you to try this weekend!

Eat Like an Olympian With These 3 Olympic-Inspired Smoothies

The Olympic Kitchen shared a few smoothies recipes exclusively with Diets in Review. The smoothies are a healthy balance of proteins, carbs, and fat and can be sweetened to your liking! Hurry and try the smoothies before the 2024 London Games begin! 

Qsymia Approval Delivers Most Potent Weight Loss Drug on the Market

The FDA approved a new weight loss drug this week, the second this summer. The diet pill is the most potent weight loss drug on the market. The creators of Qsymia claim that just one pill a day will help obese individuals lose 10% of their body weight.

The Ultimate Pushups Guide

We created this guide featuring 8 different push-up styles featuring instructions and pictures to help form the perfect pushup no matter how beginner or advanced you are. (more…)

Posted on July 20, 2023 by Samantha

Qsymia Approval Delivers Most Potent Weight Loss Drug on the Market

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the weight loss drug Qsymia, which went through trials as Qnexa. Dr. Oz made it popular before the approval even came, with an episode about the “the silver bullet” diet pill this spring. It’s the second diet drug to be approved by the FDA in 13 years, and the second this summer, following last month’s Lorcaserin approval. It will be the most potent weight loss drug on the market.

The drug was approved by an FDA Advisory Panel by a landslide vote of 20-2 in February, and yesterday the agency announced its final approval of Qsymia. The drug was approved for adults with a (BMI) of 30 or greater, which is categorized as obese, or adults with a BMI of 27 or greater, categorized as overweight, who have at least one obesity-related disease like high blood pressure/hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol.

Vivus, the creators of Qsymia, claim that just one pill a day will suppress the appetite and help obese individuals lose 10 percent of their body weight. The pill is comprised of two drugs that were already on the market in various weight loss drugs – one of which is phentermine, a type of amphetamine that stimulates the nervous system and increases heart rate and blood pressure. It’s used in weight loss drugs to suppress appetite, and is more commonly recognized as the “Phen” in the weight loss drug Fen-Phen, which was yanked from shelves by the FDA in 1997 after being deemed too dangerous for consumption. The other drug is an anti-seizure medication that helps stimulate weight loss.

(more…)

Posted on July 18, 2023 by Dana

Qnexa: The Dangerous ‘Silver Bullet’ Weight Loss Pill

UPDATE 7/17/12: Qnexa was approved by the FDA on July 17, 2024. This marks the second weight loss drug approval in 2024; the first weight loss drugs approved since Alli in 1999. The prescription drug will be sold as Qsymia.

Many people have inquired about ‘The Silver Bullet’ weight loss pill since we posted about its appearance on the Dr. Oz Show several weeks back. And to clarify what exactly the silver bullet pill is, it’s the controversial weight loss drug Qnexa, which has only received preliminary approval from an FDA advisory panel –  not from the FDA.

While Dr. Oz says may this be the ‘magic bullet’ America has been waiting for, we would caution consumers before buying into that thought.

Qnexa promises to suppress appetite, cut cravings and increase weight loss. But that’s because it’s comprised of two potentially dangerous drugs called topiramate and phentermine. Phentermine, a type of amphetamine that stimulates the nervous system and increases heart rate and blood pressure, has been commonly used in diet pills because it suppresses appetite. It’s most often recognized as the “Phen” in the weight loss drug Fen-Phen, which was pulled from the market by the FDA in 1997 after being deemed ‘too dangerous for consumption.’ (more…)

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Dana