FDA Expands Uses of Vyvanse to Treat Binge-Eating Disorder
This is the first FDA-approved medication to treat the condition
The FDA has expanded the approved uses of Vyvanse to treat binge-eating disorder in adults, according to a news release. The drug is the first FDA-approved medication to treat the condition.
“Binge eating can cause serious health problems and difficulties with work, home, and social life,” said Mitchell Mathis, M.D., director of the Division of Psychiatry Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “The approval of Vyvanse provides physicians and patients with an effective option to help curb episodes of binge eating.”
The efficacy of Vyvanse in treating binge-eating disorder was shown in two clinical studies that included 724 adults with moderate-to-severe binge-eating disorder. In the studies, participants taking Vyvanse experienced a decrease in the number of binge eating days per week and had fewer obsessive-compulsive binge eating behaviors compared to those on the inactive pill.
The drug is not approved or recommended for weight loss.