Belviq Makers Knew Weight-Loss Drug Carried Cancer Risk, N.Y. Federal Lawsuit Says

NEW YORK — A New York woman has filed a putative class action alleging the makers of Belviq and Belviq XR knew from the early stages of research and development that the weight loss drugs pose a significantly elevated risk of cancer yet pushed them to market, selling millions of dollars’ worth.

In a March 27 complaint filed against Eisai Inc. and Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the plaintiff further alleges the drugs were not effective, achieving only about a 5 percent weight loss in obese patients.

“Indeed, the efficacy …