d-fining alternatives to d-fen

Though an effective treatment for obesity, dexfenfluramine (d-fen) was removed from the market in 1997 after adverse cardiac events were reported in patients taking fenfluramine in combination with phentermine. Researchers now understand the mechanisms by which dexfenfluramine causes both appetite suppression and side effects.

The knowledge indicates that melanocortin 3 (MC3-R) or melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4-R) agonists might provide safer, more specific treatments for obesity, and indirectly provide some clinical proof of concept for companies targeting the melanocortin pathway...