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Wonder Diet Pill Could Be Key Weapon in War on Obesity; Third of Trial Patients Lost 10% Body Weight

Posted on: Wednesday, 10 November 2004, 09:00 CST

THE journey to a slimmer and healthier body could be in sight for an estimated 100 million obese people following the latest trial results of a pill being developed to treat the condition Researchers says the people taking the drug known as rimonabant, which not only treats obesity but also tackles cholesterol levels and helps patients quit smoking, saw their body weight drop and waist measurements decrease.

The pill, which could be available in the UK within 18 months, targets the part of the brain involved in motivation and controlling appetite.

The latest results of a two-year trial were presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in New Orleans yesterday.

The latest findings from trials involving more than 3000 patients in the US and Canada revealed that those taking rimonabant lost more weight around their waist than those taking dummy pills.

After two years, patients taking a 20mg daily dose of the drug lost 8cm round their waists, compared to 4.9cm for those on a 5mg dose and 3.8cm in the placebo group.

Almost two-thirds (62.5%) of patients on 20mg of rimonabant lost more than 5% of their initial body weight after two years on the drug. This compared to 36.7% of those on the 5mg dose and 33.2% on the placebo.

A third (32.8%) of patients on the 20mg daily dose lost in excess of 10% of their initial body weight, compared to 20% on the 5mg dose and 16.4% on placebo.

Xavier Pi-Sunyer, a researcher, said they also found a significant increase in HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol).

All participants were put on the same diet, designed to reduce their daily calorie intake by 600 calories.

Rimonabant, which some have described as a "wonder pill", is being developed for the management of cardiovascular risk factors, including reducing abdominal obesity, improving lipid and glucose metabolism and as an aid to smoking cessation.

Industry analysts say it could be a once-in-a-decade blockbuster. Many doctors and analysts agree.

The drug's success could be music to the ears of the government, which has launched a number of innovative campaigns recently to tackle the growing problem of obesity, which affects one in five Britons.

Government figures show obesity is linked to 30,000 deaths annually in the UK, shortening life by an average of nine years. Each year it costs the NHS about (pounds) 500m.

In Scotland official research has recently shown that 62.2% of men and 54.2% of women are overweight or obese.

Last September one MSP called for a ban on the advertising of fizzy drinks and fatty food after it emerged that one in three Scots children is overweight.

David Haslam, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, described the arrival of rimonabant in the UK as "a mouth-watering prospect" for GPs.

He said: "This is a completely unique drug. These are very impressive results. It reduces weight, helps in quitting smoking and brings cholesterol levels down. We can really save some lives with this as well as reducing the large costs of treating obesity and its related complications, such as heart disease, in the NHS."

The drug, made by the French-based Sanofi-Aventis, will be sold under the trade name Acomplia.

Source: Herald, The; Glasgow (UK)

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