Arena, Eisai: Lorcaserin produced weight loss in Type 2 diabetics during trial

SAN DIEGO Two drug makers conducting a late-stage clinical trial of a drug for treating overweight and obese patients said the drug produced significant weight loss in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

Arena Pharmaceuticals and Eisai reported results of the one-year “BLOOM-DM” phase-3 trial of the drug lorcaserin, showing that a significant number of patients lost 5% to 10% of their weight by the end of the trial. Patients taking the drug also showed improvements in blood sugar levels, compared with those taking placebo.

The trial involved 604 patients who were randomly divided into three groups: one group taking 10 mg of lorcaserin twice a day, one taking the drug once a day and one taking placebo.