After the growing popularity of Orlistat and Sibutramine, another new weight loss drug has been been introduced to the billion dollar weight loss market. Histalean is a new combination, based on the vertigo medication, Betahistine. The preliminary results for the trial studies of this new weight loss drug shows promise. If successful, Histalean may well become the new wonder drug for weight loss.
How it works
According to Dr. Nir Barak from the Tel Aviv University’s Sackler School of Medicine, has suggested that Histalean can work as an appetite suppressant. The drug, said to be felt more heavily by women, inhibits the desire to binge on fatty good. This is based on the uses of Betahistine as a treatment for vertigo. The drug is said to block certain receptors in the brain that are connected to satiety and the desire to eat.
Recent research
According to recent studies, there is a significant difference with the effectiveness of this drug between male and female subjects. Phase II of the drug trial consisted of 281 male and female patients with ages ranging from 18-65.
They were given varied doses of the new weight loss drug over a 12-week period to evaluate its efficacy and safety. Results showed that the female subjects under age 50 lost 7 times the weight of those on placebo during the research period. So far, there have been no reports of negative side effects.
Skepticism
There are still some people who are pretty skeptical about this new weight loss drug. Rumors are going around that the initial results of this Phase II drug trial for histalean showed that the drug did not have any significant weight loss effects on the study’s subjects. Even Betahistine from which the drug was based did not provide any therapeutic effects for vertigo treatment. There’s still an ongoing debate on the credibility of this product.
