The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of Contrave for those who are overweight and obese, as a means to treat chronic weight issues. This new drug is recommended to be combined with a healthy, calorie-reduced diet, along with regular exercise.

Contrave includes a blend of two drugs already approved by the FDA – naltrexone and bupropion. Naltrexone is used to treat dependence on alcohol and opioids, and bupropion is used to treat depression and seasonal affective disorder.

A number of clinical trials were conducted to test the effectiveness of Contrave, which included about 4,500 study participants who were overweight or obese. For one year, the participants were tracked while on the drug.

The participants who were on Contrave experienced an average weight loss of 4.1 percent, compared to those on a placebo pill after the one-year time period elapsed. In this current clinical trial, 42 percent of the participants who were on Contrave lost at least five percent of their body weight, compared to only 17 percent of those on a placebo.

Jean-Marc Guettier, M.D., director of the Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, stresses the fact that obesity continues to be a significant public health concern. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one-third of American adults are obese. The estimated yearly medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion in 2008.

“When used as directed in combination with a healthy lifestyle that includes a reduced-calorie diet and exercise, Contrave provides another treatment option for chronic weight management for people who are obese or are overweight and have at least one weight-related health condition,” said Guettier in a statement.