Vivus' Qsymia appears to cut diabetes risk in some patients

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Patients taking a drug used for weight loss were able to reduce their chances of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

According to data from a 475-patient study published in the journal Diabetes Care, Vivus' Qsymia (phentermine and topiramate) reduced the annualized incidence rate of Type 2 diabetes by up to 78.7% in high-risk, overweight or obese patients with prediabetes or metabolic syndrome. Prediabetes is a condition in which a person has elevated blood sugar and a high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

"These data demonstrate that medically assisted weight loss is highly effective in preventing progression to diabetes in an at-risk population, and underscores the observation that 10% weight loss achieves beneficial effects on metabolism and risk factors in patients with prediabetes and metabolic syndrome," University of Alabama nutrition sciences department chairman and study lead author Timothy Garvey said.