The weight loss drug Lorcaserin developed by Arena Pharmaceuticals is being prepared for submission to the FDA. Should the drug be approved, the release date is expected to be sometime in 2010.

“As a species we tend to preserve body fat and you need some way to short circuit that process, and Lorcaserin does that by modulating brain systems that can prevent food intake. So it decreases your appetite, so you take in less food,” says Dr. Dominic Behan, an Arena co-founder, in a King 5 News report.

During the trials, common side effects found were headaches, and nausea.

Arena has developed a robust marketing plan, with projected initial prescriptions of over 10 million. The drug will be heavily marketed towards obese individuals.