A U.S. FDA Advisory Committee reviewing guidelines for weight-loss drug trials appear prepared to call for studies that focus on the effect of anti-obesity drugs on severely obese children.

"This population of patients needs to be studied separately from the adults," Dr. Glenn Braunstein, acting committee chairman and head of medicine at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, told a public meeting.

No children are currently included in the seven Phase III clinical trials being conducted for the anti-obesity drug Acomplia, even though obesity in kids is now epidemic in the United States.

The FDA Advisory Committee also appeared to be in general agreement that the trial of an anti-obesity drug should be considered a success if it results in a 5 percent weight loss for participants.

Preliminary data from two of the Phase III trials of Acomplia have found that between 70 and 75 percent of participants lost at least 5 percent of their body weight during the course of a year, with approximately 40 percent losing 10 percent of their body weight.

Source: News reports of FDA Panel Meeting