Meridia: The New Anti- Obesity Drug :: Diet Pills Health Obesity Essays

Meridia The New Anti- Obesity Drug Introduction In like a shots society the hegemonic belief surrounding charge is that thin is in and fat is out. With over half of the American population being overweight, the sustenance craze has swept the nation. However, a bigger player has come into the weight loss scene, the pharmaceutical industry. After the abrupt withdrawal of two anti- corpulency drugs from the market in 1997, the pharmaceutical industry has been looking to fill the misdirect in this atomic number 18a of the market. Meridia (sibutramine hydrochloric monohydrate), manufactured by Knoll Pharmaceutical Co, enters with guardianship what now appears to be a virtually deserted and uncertain anti- fleshiness market. The drug works to suppress craving via serotonin (and norepinephrine) re-uptake inhibition. How Does Meridia earn? In the fall of 1997, fenfluramine (the fen half of the popular fen-phen drug combination) and redux(postnominal) (dexfenfluramine) were recalled after the drugs were linked to potentially fatal heart valve abnormalities. In November of 1997, exactly a few months after the withdrawal of fenfluramine and Redux, the Federal Drug establishment (FDA) approved Meridia. Meridia is a class of drug known as monoamine (serotonin and norepinephrine) re-uptake inhibitors. It falls in the same class of many anti- depressants such as Prozac. Serotonin is a chemical released in the brain after you pose eaten a meal, which makes you feel full. When a plaque impulse reaches the end of the nerve (the nerve terminal), the impulse causes the release of chemicals called neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitters are released in the space amid the two adjacent neurons, this region is called the synaptic cleft. Usually once the neurotransmitters guide bound to their receptors (the neurotransmitter and the receptor fit like a lock and a key) on the adjacent nerve, transport proteins work to reabsorb the extra neurotransmitte r venture into the nerve terminal so that they can be reused. However, Meridia acts to inhibit the reabsorption of serotonin so the that signal lasts longer, thus giving the sensation that you are full for a longer period of time. This method is thought to in effect reduce the caloric intake of an obese individual due to appetite suppression. For an informational video on the mechanism of action for Meridia visit the world capacious web at www.4meridia.com/hcprof/fma.htm. How is Meridia Different from the Recalled Drugs?