FDA Approves Eating Disorder Pill

The ADHD drug called Vyvanse has recently been approved by the FDA to treat binge-eating disorder, becoming the first drug to be approved for this condition.

Clinical studies using 724 people found that participants on Vyvanse binged fewer days every week than participants who were taking placebos. This led the FDA to announce that Vyvanse “is an effective option to help curb episodes of binge-eating” (Kim, 2015).

While this medication does show promising results for binge-eating disorder patients, skeptics are not convinced that it should be the only option. Melissa Gerson, the clinical director of Columbus Park Collaborative treatment center in New York, stated, “I just don’t want there to be the message that there’s a simple pill you can take . . . there are longstanding behavior patterns that need to be explored and shifted” (Kim, 2015).

References

Kim, V. (2015). FDA approves pill to treat eating disorder. Retrieved from http://www.thefix.com/content/fda-approves-pill-treat-eating-disorder

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