Binge Eating Disorder Clinical Trials 2023

What Are Binge Eating Disorder Clinical Trials?

Binge eating disorder, or BED, is a life-threatening, treatable disorder characterized by recurrent binge eating episodes. People struggling with binge eating disorder eat large quantities of food quickly and to the point of feeling uncomfortably full. These episodes occur even when the affected individual is not feeling physically hungry and cause feelings of guilt and disgust, resulting in some form of compensatory measure. People can use laxatives, self-induced vomiting, or excessive exercise to counter binge eating.

BED is one of the newest additions to eating disorders in the DSM-5. Binge eating disorder clinical trials can help inform a care plan and teach healthcare professionals more about this disorder. BED is diagnosed by recurrent binge eating episodes, a lack of control over eating impulses, discretely consuming large quantities of food, and compensatory behaviors.

People with BED are also concerned with their body weight and shape and make lifestyle schedules to accommodate their binge sessions. They are at risk of developing clinical obesity and struggle with weight cycling and weight stigma.

Why Is Binge Eating Disorder Being Studied Through Clinical Trials?

According to Eating Recovery Center, 8% of U.S. adults suffer from binge eating disorder in their lifetime, making it the most common eating disorder in the country. People who are at risk of BED can inherit this disorder. More than half of binge eating disorder patients have comorbid anxiety disorders, and almost half of them have a comorbid mood disorder.

Binge eating disorder clinical trials can help medical and mental health professionals learn more about this condition and develop novel ways to prevent, screen, and treat it. These trials can also help develop future studies and develop more effective drugs and therapies to treat the disorder.

What Are The Types of Treatments Available for Binge Eating Disorder?

The supportive treatment for binge eating disorder depends on the severity and causes of the disorder and individual goals. For instance, the treatment plan might target mental health issues causing BED, excessive binge eating behaviors, body image issues, excess weight, or different combinations of these treatments.

People with binge eating disorders can receive different therapy, such as cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, medication, interpersonal psychotherapy, and weight loss therapy. The therapist might carry out these treatments in a group setting, individual setting, or on a self-help basis.

Some people with BED might need a singular therapy form, while others require different combinations to combat their disorder. A mental health professional will guide the individual with BED in selecting a custom treatment plan. Moreover, new binge eating disorder clinical trials can also help develop new medications and supportive treatment plans.

What Are Some Recent Breakthrough Clinical Trials for Binge Eating Disorder?

Here are two recent binge eating disorder clinical trials:

2017: A Randomized Clinical Trial to Test the Efficacy of Lixdexamfetamine in Adults with Moderate to Severe BED – This trial successfully established the efficacy of lisdexamfetamine as a long-term treatment for binge eating disorder. The results showed the risk of binge eating and relapsing was lower in participants who continued lisdexamfetamine for six months.

2021: A Randomized Clinical Trial to Assess the Safety & Efficacy of Dasotraline in Adults with BED – This fixed-dose, placebo-controlled clinical trial continued for 12 weeks and discovered that treating patients with binge eating disorder with six mg/d of dasotraline proved to be effective in reducing binge eating days per week. The medication improved binge eating-related compulsive behaviors and obsessive thoughts.