The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today expanded the approved uses of Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) to treat binge-eating disorder in adults. The drug is the first FDA-approved medication to treat this condition.

In binge-eating disorder, patients have recurrent episodes of compulsive overeating during which they consume larger amounts of food than normal and experience the sense that they lack control. Patients with this condition eat when they are not hungry and often eat to the point of being uncomfortably full. Patients may feel ashamed and embarrassed by how much they are eating, which can result in social isolation. Binge-eating disorder may lead to weight gain and to health problems related to obesity.

“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.”

Vyvanse was reviewed under the FDA’s priority review program, which provides for an expedited review of drugs that are intended to treat a serious disease or condition and may provide a significant improvement over available therapy.

For more details, go to: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm432543.htm?source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery