For my proposal, I would like to research the effectiveness of diet pills. In this case, I’m doing research on a newly passed controversial drug, Qnexa. The drug, manufactured by Vivus, had previously been denied approval by the FDA. The questions I seek to answer are: Does the drug really cause people to lose weight, or is this some sort of scam plotted up by Vivus? Just how effective is the drug? I can advertise a knife as a weight loss solution, but could it really cause someone to lose weight? Yes it could. However, the knife is dangerous and would cause a lot of injury in the process. I wonder just how similar the case is with these expensive drugs on the market advertising promising results.

Below are some sources that discuss Qnexa in different perspectives:

FDA panel backs obesity pill Qnexa: What happens next?

This article, fairly recent in the history of the drug, discusses its recent passing and questions the the future of it. It provides further information on the safety of the drug, as well as the reasons why it was finally approved by the FDA. I intend to use it as a window to information about the drug, and as a way to point out some of the benefits accredited to the drug.

What Vivus Fails To Say About Its Diet Pill Study

This article was written prior to the previous source. It discusses Qnexa in a much more negative light and gives reasons as to why it was NOT passed by the FDA. The product fails to fulfill Vivus’ advertisements. This article is crucial because it points out how companies, like Vivus, can be so anxious to sell their product that they do not even seem to care whether or not the results are conclusive. 

Safety is Tricky and Getting Trickier

I’m not able to provide a reliable working link to “Safety is Tricky and Getting Trickier”. Clinking on it may give some sort of error message. However, it definitely works if you find the article for yourself. Just search the title in the search box and it will come up. The article discusses some setbacks within trials for the drug. It provides useful insight to what the average consumer would not know about the drug. 

Drugs Zero In 

This source briefly mentions Qnexa in a broader subject of other drugs. However it provides one very interesting detail: Vivus excluded women in their childbearing years for approval of their drug. So women between the ages of 16 to Menopause aren’t approved to take the drug, according to this source. 

New approaches to the pharmacological treatment of obesity: Can they break through the efficacy barrier?

I have not yet been able to read most of this article yet. It provides a lot of information on different pharmaceutical drugs available and discusses their effects on the human body. Even if it doesn’t go into great detail on Qnexa itself, it provides information to the market and Qnexa’s competitors. Reading this article will (hopefully) help me acquire a deeper understanding of the diet pills market so that I am able to see Qnexa in contrast to other drugs promising similar results.