Photo: e-magic, Flickr

Have the pharmaceutical companies finally found the magic pill for weight loss? While it's not magic, Orexigen Therapeutics Inc. has had positive results in their recent trials for Contrave, a new obesity drug.

In one trial, 48 percent of obese participants who took a higher dose of Contrave lost at least 5 percent of their body weight; only 16.4 percent of control participants (who were taking a placebo) lost comparable weight. In a second trial, 56.3 percent of those taking Contrave lost weight compared to 17.1 percent taking a placebo.

With a more than 7 percent difference between Contrave takers and placebo takers, the trials were above the FDA guidelines for weight loss drugs. (FDA guidelines state that there must be at least a 5 percentage point difference.) A lower dose of Contrave also showed positive results in trials.

Instead of blocking fat absorption like Orlistat (found in the over-the-counter drug Alli) or controlling appetite like Meridia, Contrave tackles weight loss from another direction. Contrave is a combination of Wellbutrin, a common antidepressant, and naltrexone, a medication used to treat addictions.

Existing weight loss drugs have some nasty side effects. Fat blockers, for example, can cause diarrhea and/or anal leakage. Orexigen states that Contrave was generally well tolerated by trial participants. However, possible side effects include gall bladder inflammation and seizures.

Orexigen plans to seek FDA approval for Contrave next year.

Alli's been on the market in North America for a while now, but it started to gain quite a bit more press once Wynona Judd announced she was jumping on the bandwagon and using the weight-loss drug to lose a few. However, just because a celeb uses Alli, doesn't mean you should, as Fitsugar has reminded us. Because, have you taken time to read the side effects? They are:

• Oily spotting. From your, um, rear end, if you needed clarification.
  
• Loose stools
• More frequent stools that may be hard to control.
  

Ick. What's more, they advise that "you may feel an urgent need to go to the bathroom. Until you have a sense of any treatment effects, it's probably a smart idea to wear dark pants, and bring a change of clothes with you to work." Lovely.

I think I will stick to regular dieting rather than risk unfortunate accidents like these. What about you?

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Wynonna Judd is singing the weight loss blues ... or rather the reds, blues, golds and greens of the alli© logo. She's signed on as spokesperson for the weight loss drug.

Judd is part of a long-list of celebs who have lent their names and faces to weight loss products. Jenny McCarthy once touted Weight Watchers, and Phylicia Rashad is the latest celeb speaking for Jenny Craig. Regarding alli, Judd said "I've considered every diet under the sun, but so many of them wanted me to be something I'm not and do things I knew were not healthy for me. Then I discovered alli. With the alli program, I'm learning how to make and maintain healthier lifestyle choices. It keeps me honest with myself and allows me to set realistic goals."

That's great, Wynonna. But I've got one question. Why do you need alli to do all that? You can make healthier choices and set realistic goals without a pill.

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Eight short years ago, Marion Jones was the pride of the US -- raking in medals at the Sydney Olympics. Then things fell apart when it was revealed that Jones took performance-enhancing drugs. She was stripped of her medals and was sentenced to time in prison for lying to federal prosecutors. In her first interview since her release, Jones spoke to Oprah about what really happened.

According to Jones, her former coach, Trevor Graham, gave her pills he described as flax seed oil. Jones, who took numerous substances such as vitamins and creatine, didn't question what he was giving her. Jones said she was instructed to put the tablet under her tongue for a while and then swallow it. Later, during the investigation, prosecutors showed Jones a vial of a designer steroid nicknamed "the clear." Jones now admits that she recognized it immediately as the substance her coach had given her. "I made the decision I was going to lie and try to cover it up," explained Jones. "I knew that all of my performances would be questioned."

There's a lesson for all athletes here. From the average Joe to the high school quarterback to elite athletes -- we're all responsible for what we put into our bodies. Supplements such as whey protein and creatine are frequently used by athletes. But even legal supplements shouldn't be used without knowledge and caution. Proper nutrition, consistent exercise, and appropriate training are your best bets for keeping your body in peak condition.

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Weight loss in a pill. It's the weight loss equivalent of the fountain of youth ... and just as elusive.

The major pharmaceutical company, Merck, has been in clinical trials for an anti-obesity drug called taranabant. But Merck recently announced that it was halting development of taranabant because of side effects. In certain doses, the drug was effective in helping patients lose significant amounts of weight. But there was an adverse side effect ... those taking the drug had an increased risk of psychiatric events. It's not clear from the article what exact psychiatric events were being experienced.

While the side effects of this pill are obviously extreme, it's not the first attempt at a weight loss pill that comes up short. While it would be nice to cure obesity with a quick fix, the old tried and true method of eating right and being more active is still the best bet.

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I have a total love/hate relationship with medicine. Although I value science and medicine, quite often I can't stand the affects they have on me. I simply can't stand to be drowsy, foggy or affected in any way. Prescriptions are great if they fix what's wrong with you, but all of the side effects are for the birds. I suppose if we all took each drug correctly, we may have less. So, I was particularly intrigued when Women's Health posted a study regarding drug labels.

According to a survey in the Annals of Internal Medicine, almost half of the participants misunderstood drug warning labels, and most ignored the directions altogether. This gallery provides some of the most common instructions you'll find on those little stickers slapped on each bottle and what they really mean.

Forget fitting into your favorite pair of jeans, ladies. Forget burning tons of calories too. Yes, these are great reasons to exercise. But take a look at the bigger picture -- the reason, well five reasons, we simply must exercise. Each one falls into the category of living longer and better.

• Exercise wards off Alzheimer's. All is takes is moderate exercise two to five times per week early in life.
  

• Exercise boosts energy. Exercising when you're tired won't leave you exhausted. Instead, it will relieve your fatigue.
  

• Exercise slows down aging. The bodies of active folks can be 10 years younger than couch potatoes of the same age.
  

• Exercise helps manage menopause. Daily walking can cut stress and anxiety triggered by depleted estrogen. Try 35 minutes at four mph per day.
  

• Exercise reduces the need for drug treatment. Want to avoid drugs for managing diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol? Walk as little as three to eight miles per week.
  
  

Pick up a copy of the latest Oprah Magazine for more on this healthy topic.

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Every so often, we hear news reports about accidental deaths or overdoses due to over-prescribed, often unnecessary drugs or surgery. But these seems to be rare, right? We'd like to think so, anyway. I recently read some alarming statistics on deaths in the US:

• 12,000 were caused by unnecessary surgery
• 7,000 were caused by medication errors in hospitals
• 20,000 were caused by other errors in hospitals
• 80,000 were caused by infections in hospitals
• 106,000 were caused by non-error, negative effects of drugs.

That's right -- in one of the most medically-advanced countries in the world, hundreds of thousands of people are dying at the hands of medical professionals by errors, unnecessary measures and other preventable causes. Does this seem odd to anyone else? I think its time we began questioning the motivations behind the 'remedies' we're being offered.

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People who identify themselves as alcoholics may have a new treatment option in the future. It's a drug which reduces the stress response of the brain, and it could lead to an encapsulated form of aid.

Drug-related treatments are not new for alcoholism. Traditionally, these target the pleasure response people get from drinking. However, this new option would target the stress which leads up to alcoholics drinking in the first place. It's worth noting that this finding, like many studies in the world of research, involved lab rats -- not humans.

However, the drug still targets the same protein, so this could be a viable treatment option in the future. By cutting the urge to drink (at least partially), alcoholics could be empowered to fight this addiction more effectively. Skeptics argue that this would not be a one-pill-panacea for alcoholism. Different things work for different people, so it will be good to see how this fares in larger, human-based applications.

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In what is probably the coolest way to take medicine ever, an Israel-based company has created a prosthetic tooth that delivers medication for people who need it at regular intervals. The aptly named IntelliDrug is literally the size of a pair of molars and would hold a solid pill inside.

By design, saliva is allowed to permeate the device and build up pressure inside. Then, at pre-programmed intervals, an electronic valve is opened to release the medication. It even has software to monitor how much potency is left in the pill!

The best news is that this doesn't have to be a permanent fixture for people either. It can be installed much like a bracket at the orthodontist's office. Of course, fixed versions can be applied to people needing a long-term solution. This technology would be great for people who take medication on a daily basis -- or even for those who sometimes forget! Like the article suggests, Alzheimer's patients would get a lot out of this device too. Read on for more information regarding this invention.

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After more than ten years in the making, professor Thomas Kosten has finished a vaccine that has the potential to cure addiction. The way it accomplishes this is nothing short of amazing. The drug literally prevents the body from getting high!

Right now, the vaccine addresses the effects of cocaine most effectively. However, he says they are working on translating this wonder medicine to other applications such as methamphetamine and heroin. Imagine if they could address the same addiction that cigarette smokers deal with?

Another incredible aspect of this vaccine is that even thought the process takes a while, there are no withdrawals. So patients trying to kick the addiction to a substance don't have to go through all the painful side-effects! So how did they do it? Well, doctors inject an altered version of the drug, in this case the cocaine molecule, which tells the body to start making antibodies against it. When the real cocaine is used, it ends up getting urinated out before it ever reaches the brain. Science can do some truly amazing things -- let's see if they can come up with more variations of this vaccine!

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Good news on the breast cancer front: Doctors revealed Thursday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium that they are backing off on chemotherapy for breast cancer patients. And when the drug therapy must be used, new research reveals there are gentler drug versions that can spare women the toxicity that results from standard drugs like Adriamycin, a mainstay of treatment for decades.

Even better news: Avoiding chemotherapy for some patients -- namely those who qualify for gene tests to predict prognosis -- doesn't adversely affect the odds for relapse and survival. Where was this news three years ago when Adriamycin was blasting through my veins?

These great new findings are sure to speed the growing trend away from chemotherapy and more precisely target the small groups of women who truly need the treatment.

Yes, chemotherapy is not necessary for all breast patients. Such good news, isn't it?

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Merck's new Isentress drug has been approved to treat HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) strains that have been found to be resistant to many antiretroviral drugs, according to the pharmaceutical manufacturer.

Newer drugs that treat AIDS have become exciting in the last 24 months as more advanced have been made in fighting the virus responsible for the disease. Isentress, for example, works by interfering with an enzyme needed by the HIV-1 virus to multiply.

This specific drug is meant to be used with former, more conventional HIV treatments where viral replication has been seen despite the use of antiretroviral drugs.

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As of this week, the FDA has approved the first-ever generic versions of the anticonvulsant drug Trileptal used to test partial seizures in those four and older.

This is the first time a generic version of the anticonvulsing drug has been approved by the FDA, and the products will be available in these strengths: 150mg, 300mg and 600mg.

With Trileptal being the 74th most-used medication in the U.S., these generic versions will almost certainly sell well when released, although side effects from Trileptal like severe skin reactions and dizziness hopefully will not be present.

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Britney Spears' less-than-perfect body of late has been getting lots of publicity -- both bad and good -- and here's a suggestion that would definitely fall in the bad category: Life & Style magazine is reporting that her bloated body is due to her excessive drug use, which was also one of the major reasons she lost custody of her sons. According to the article, "She's bloated, and she's stopped working out. She also starves herself for three days while drinking and doing drugs, and then when she comes down she binges on junk food." Drugs apparently are also the reason that her skin is looking lackluster these days, not doubt due to her unhealthy lifestyle.

Now, I don't know hot legit the article or it's sources are but if she is abusing drugs and alcohol, it's not surprising that her looks have started to suffer. Still, It's sad to see such a promising young star so far gone. Do you agree?

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