New drug twice as effective in tackling obesity

A POWERFUL new weight loss drug originally developed to treat brain diseases is twice as effective as the best existing anti-obesity medicines, research has shown.

Obese patients given the drug tesofensine daily for 24 weeks lost around two stone.

The amount of weight they shed was at least double what could have been achieved with the currently available anti-obesity drugs sibutramine and rimonabant, said experts.