WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. and SAN DIEGO — Eisai Inc. and Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. have launched Belviq XR (lorcaserin HCl) CIV extended-release 20-mg tablets, a weight-loss medication.

The companies said Belviq XR, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in July, offers a new once-daily dosing option that may help some patients achieve and maintain weight loss.

“We are pleased that Belviq XR is now available to patients and may provide them with a new option that can be used as part of their weight management armamentarium,” stated Amit Munshi, president and chief executive officer of Arena.”The launch of this new formulation is another example of Arena’s success in supporting our collaborators.”

According to Eisai and Arena, Belviq XR is proven to be slowly absorbed in the body and last throughout the day. The medication is approved for use with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management in adults who have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m² or greater (obese) or 27 kg/m² or greater (overweight) with at least one weight-related medical condition, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or type 2 diabetes.

“Eisai is committed to those living with obesity, a chronic, progressive disease that has serious health consequences,” commented Paul Hawthorne, senior vice president for the neurology business group at Eisai. “We are excited to offer patients a once-daily option for chronic weight management that may help them achieve and sustain their weight loss goals.”

More therapeutic options are needed to help people better manage their weight, since more than 78 million U.S. adults are obese and obesity rates on the rise, noted Caroline Apovian, M.D., professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. “A once-daily, extended-release tablet provides a treatment regimen that may help patients meet their weight-loss goals,” she stated.

Eisai and Arena added that it’s not known if Belviq XR is safe and effective if taken with other prescription, over-the-counter or herbal weight-loss products.