Sanofi's Acomplia (rimonabant) Weight Loss Drug Gets EU Approval

The European Commission has approved 20-mg tablets of rimonabant for use as an adjunct to diet and exercise in the treatment of obese or overweight patients with associated cardiometabolic risk factors such as type 2 diabetes or dyslipidemia.

Sanofi-Aventis has high hopes for obesity drug Acomplia, launched in Britain this week, but its rollout across the EU is hard to predict given the politics of access to new drugs in Europe.

Patients presenting with abdominal obesity who also have diabetes and/or dyslipidemia are most likely to benefit from rimonabant therapy. Almost 50% of adults with a large waist circumference (102 cm/40 inches in men, 88 cm/35 inches in women) also have at least 3 additional cardiometabolic risk factors.

Rimonabant is the first in a new class of drugs called cannabinoid subtype 1 (CB1) blockers, which work by selectively blocking receptors in the brain and peripheral organs that play a key role in glucose and lipid metabolism (eg, adipose tissue, the liver, gastrointestinal tract, and muscle).

CB1 receptor blockade serves to decrease hyperactivity of the endocannabinoid system, which has been recently characterized as playing an important role in regulating body weight, controlling energy balance, and glucose and lipid metabolism.

The drug was approved for use in Europe, along with diet and exercise, in treating obese patients, or overweight people who also have diabetes or high cholesterol.

Source: Diabetes In Control