The Next Big Diet Pill? FDA Reconsiders Approval Of 'Qnexa'

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A Food and Drug Administration panel is reconsidering whether to approve the diet pill Qnexa.

The drug contains a combination of Phentermine, an appetite suppressant, and Topiramate, a drug that is supposed to make patients feel full.

Researchers found obese patients taking Qnexa lost an average of 10 percent of their body mass.

The FDA rejected the drug in 2010 over concerns about potential side effects, including heart problems and birth defects.

At a congressional hearing Wednesday, the makers of Qnexa presented encouraging new findings about the drug's safety.

"One of the outcomes of the study performed on thousands of patients is that all of the cardio-metabolic risk factors seem to improve," said Dr. Louis Aronne of the Weill Cornell Medical Center,

More than one out of every three adults in the United States is obese, but currently there is only one FDA approved drug for weight loss.

The FDA panel's recommendation is not binding. The FDA is expected to make its final decision in April.