14 DAY TRIAL // The already controversial diet pill market could very soon count a new and seemingly revolutionary addition: a "miraculous" weight loss drug called tesofensine, which is currently undergoing clinical trials and could be available on a wide scale in roughly three years. Tesofensine is designed to target the specific part of the brain responsible for controlling appetite and makes the user feel full very soon after starting a meal, while also suppresses the urge to snack constantly. Taken for half a year, tesofensine helps achieve an average weight loss of about 10 kilos - which is twice the amount currently achieved by most anti-obesity drugs.
Although it's hailed as the next major breakthrough in the ever-expanding and changing domain of weight loss drugs, boosting quality of life and slashing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer for obese patients, this miracle pill is already the subject of controversy in various medical circles. Its many proven side-effects include diarrhea, mood changes, constipation, mild nausea, insomnia and - most worrisome of all - an increased heart rate. Also, nutritionists have claimed that all tesofensine does is cut corners and offer lazy patients a quick fix for their ever-expanding waistlines, and have argued that the same affects could be obtained with healthy dieting and regular exercise.
However, there are doctors who hail this drug as the answer to all their prayers: a drug that offers a quick weight loss of that magnitude is worth looking into. One Danish professor even argues that coupled with a sensible diet, the effects of tesofensine could double. "You could easily come up to 20 per cent weight loss which could offer an alternative to the surgical treatment of obesity which has become the only real cure or effective treatment that can provide a weight loss of that size", claims Professor Astrup, from the University of Copenhagen. A drug that offers rapid, effortless weight loss is bound to be a huge hit on the modern markets and it's quite likely that people will abuse it unless extreme caution is exercised.