Lorcaserin: Making headway

Abstract

Obesity is a global problem which has reached epidemic proportions. Obesity is morbidly associated with metabolic syndrome, type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and increased cancer risk. There is an alarming increase in the incidence of obesity in young children which puts them at a greater risk for developing diseases at a much earlier age. Obesity also imposes a heavy burden on the healthcare system. Lorcaserin, a novel anti-obesity drug, is a selective agonist to 5-HT2C receptors thereby reducing food intake and promoting weight loss. Lorcaserin has 15-times and 100-times higher selectivity for the 5-HT2C receptor compared to the 5-HT2A and 5-HT2B receptors, respectivel