The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the drug Belviq (lorcaserin hydrochloride) in the fight against obesity. It is the first new drug to be approved in 13 years.
The drug will be prescribed in combination with a low calorie diet and an exercise regime. It works by activating a receptor in the brain that should help a person to feel full from eating less food.
Obesity is a growing problem in the western world, more than one third of Americans are obese, over a quarter of English people are, and just under a quarter of Germans are.