Lorcaserin is a selective serotonin 2C receptor agonist that modulates appetite. Although it has proven efficacy for weight management in overweight or obese patients, the cardiovascular safety and efficacy of lorcaserin are undefined. In this regard, a recently published study in The New England Journal of Medicine reported that in a high-risk population of overweight or obese patients, lorcaserin facilitated sustained weight loss without a higher rate of cardiovascular events than that with placebo.
According to the study, at 1 year, weight loss of at least 5% had occurred in 1986 of 5135 patients (38.7%) in the lorcaserin group and in 883 of 5083 (17.4%) in the placebo group (P<0.001). Moreover, patients in the lorcaserin group had slightly better values with respect to cardiac risk factors such as heart rate, blood pressure, glycemic control, and lipids than those in the placebo…
