What is Eisai Co.?
Eisai Co., Ltd. is the Tokyo, Japan-based pharmaceutical corporation that oversaw Belviq manufacturing. Although Eisai Co. is headquartered in Japan, the company has locations all over the world. Eisai Inc. is based in the United States, with its medical research headquarters in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
Additional Eisai Co. Ltd. locations inside the U.S. include research facilities in North Carolina, manufacturing sites in North Carolina and Maryland, and the Eisai Research Institute and the Genetics Guided Dementia Discovery Institute in Massachusetts.
What Other Drugs Does Eisai Make?
In addition to Belviq, Eisai Co. Ltd. and its partners manufacture the following drugs:
- Fragmin - An anticoagulant drug used for the treatment of pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- Banzel - A seizure medication prescribed to treat Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome
- Halaven - Subcutaneous injection drug used to treat advanced breast cancer
- Gliadel - Medication wafer implanted into the brain after tumor removal surgery
- Aloxi - Prescription drug used to prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
Is Belviq Back on the Market?
No. Belviq is no longer available in the United States after a 5-year post-marketing study found an increased risk of cancer associated with the drug. Eisai Inc. voluntarily recalled Belviq from the U.S. market in February 2020.
How Did Eisai Respond to the Belviq Recall?
The CAMELLIA-TIMI 61 clinical trial discovered that 7.7% of Belviq patients developed cancer over the course of the 5-year study, while the placebo group developed cancer at a 7.1% rate. While the 0.6% difference may not seem exceptionally high, this statistic still highlights a disturbing trend. After looking at the research, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked Eisai, Inc. to voluntarily recall Belviq and Belviq XR.
However, Eisai, Inc. is continuing to defend itself from the FDA’s withdrawal judgment, despite complying with the Feb. 2020 recall. Eisai continues to assert that the potential benefits of the drugs outweigh the potential health risks, and that the company’s interpretation of CAMELLIA-TIMI 61 differs from the FDA's.
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Is There a Generic for Belviq?
In 2019, the Indian multinational pharmaceutical company Zydus Lifesciences Limited received a tentative nod from the FDA to market lorcaserin hydrochloride tablets in a dosage strength of 10 mg in the United States. The product is the generic of Eisai’s Belviq tablets, 10 mg.
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The Pharmaceutical Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers focusing on plaintiffs' representation in lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new injury and death cases in all 50 states.
If you or a loved one got cancer after taking Belviq, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to a settlement by filing a suit and we can help.
