Weight Loss News

Acomplia, the new weight-loss pill from Sanofi-Aventis, has not yet been approved in the United States because of questions about its safety. But some Americans have decided not to wait.

Many are traveling to Europe, where the drug has been approved, or buying the medicine through foreign Web sites, while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues its evaluations of the treatment. On Monday, a panel of advisers to the agency said that the pill might raise the risk of suicide and suicidal thoughts.

"I don't have very many years to go, and I don't want to spend that time over 200 pounds," said Yvette Cardozo, a 62-year-old American photographer who bought six months' worth of Acomplia during a trip to London. "This is the only thing that's ever worked for me."

Twenty milligrams of Acomplia, the highest dose, resulted in statistically and clinically significant weight loss, the Food and Drug Administration's staff said in documents posted Monday on the agency's Web site. The agency advisory panel will meet Wednesday to discuss whether the medicine's benefits of reducing weight, cholesterol and blood sugar outweigh its risks.

Since clinical tests have shown that the drug can cause anxiety and depression, analysts said the panel might be cautious about approving it without seeing more studies.

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