Over the past year the FDA has approved two weight loss drugs for commercialization. One is called Belviq® by Arena Pharmaceuticals. The other is Qsymia® by Vivus Pharmaceuticals. Both of these products, under different names, together with a third product called Contrave® by Orexigen Pharmaceuticals, were rejected by the FDA in 2011 for relatively poor efficacy and potential harmful side-effects. So what made the FDA change it mind about the two products that were recently approved? The Advisory Committee for Weight Loss products at the FDA switched sides and became concerned that there were not enough tools for doctors to treat overweight disorders and obesity. They came to believe that the potential benefits of turning the tide in obesity out-weigh the potential side-effects of these drugs.

The agency appears to be increasingly concerned about assessing the tangible benefits of weight loss in terms of improving health and quality of life, according to Janet Woodcock, the current head of the FDA. Some of the recent advisors believe there is a strong need for new obesity drugs to help bridge a treatment gap between diet and exercise, on the one hand, and bariatric surgery on the other.

Not everybody agrees with the FDA. Critics say that the recently approved drugs do little to change the underlying behavior leading to obesity. Because weight loss drugs will be used for long periods of time by millions of people, the FDA should be cautious and the drugs must be completely safe. According to Sidney M. Wolf, Director of Health Research at Public Citizen, “Everyone wants a quick fix, but these drugs can be dangerous.”

Factor4 Weight Control® was formulated to use nature’s gift, all-natural Power Amino Acids®, to harness the body’s own feedback mechanisms to tame appetite, re-balance metabolism, and normalize body weight. While Factor4 stimulates fat metabolism by reducing food intake, the formula ensures that essential nutrition is maintained through the intake of amino acids and backup protein. Factor4 is therefore anabolic, designed to increase muscle tone and metabolic health. According to Dr. Scheele, other weight-loss drugs are considered catabolic, with the potential to lead to muscle weakness and poor metabolic health as food intake is reduced.

Which one of the three products listed in the above table would you take?