Back to Journals » Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity » Volume 6

Clinical utility of phentermine/topiramate (Qsymia™) combination for the treatment of obesity

Authors Shin JH, Gadde KM

Received 29 January 2013

Accepted for publication 27 February 2013

Published 8 April 2013 Volume 2013:6 Pages 131—139

DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/DMSO.S43403

Checked for plagiarism Yes

Review by Single anonymous peer review

Peer reviewer comments 3



Jin Hee Shin,1 Kishore M Gadde2

1Department of Community and Family Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, 2Obesity Clinical Trials Program, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

Abstract: Qsymia™ (Vivus Inc, Mountain View, CA, USA), a combination of phentermine and delayed-release topiramate, has been available in the US since September 2012 for the treatment of obesity. Phentermine is an anorexigenic agent, which is approved for the short-term treatment of obesity, while topiramate is approved for nonweight loss indications – seizure disorders and migraine prophylaxis. The amount of weight loss achieved with combination therapy is of a greater magnitude than what could be achieved with either agent alone. Adverse events that occur with the combination therapy are in line with the known side effect profiles of the constituent drugs; teratogenicity, a slight increase in heart rate, psychiatric and cognitive adverse effects, and metabolic acidosis are concerns.

Keywords: Qsymia, combination drug, antiobesity drugs, phentermine, topiramate, obesity, weight loss

Creative Commons License © 2013 The Author(s). This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.