Valley doctor hesitant to prescribe new weight loss pill

PHOENIX – The weight loss drug Qysmia hit the market on Tuesday.

Dr. Denise Millstien with St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center has serious reservations about the drug, which is the first weight loss drug to hit the market in the past decade.

“It takes that long to get these drugs approved because the onus is on the drug maker to demonstrate the benefit outweighs the risk of the medication,” she said.

And, in this case, she doesn’t believe that. Millstien said the new weight loss pill can affect heart valves, cause hypertension and mood changes — even suicidal thoughts — and she will only prescribe it on a short-term basis.

“In the right patient, somebody who is motivated and needs something to jumpstart their weight loss program, I might, might prescribe it,” she said.