NEW WEIGHT LOSS DRUG
Rimonabant

Obesity pill now available in UK
Scales
Obesity is a major killer
A drug which treats obesity by reducing the desire to eat has been launched in the UK.

But NHS chiefs warned people not to expect it to become widely available straight away as the cost-effectiveness of the pill needed to be assessed.

Rimonabant is the first drug to target factors governing the body's appetite, metabolism and energy use. Trials showed it can reduce weight by a tenth.

UK experts said it could not replace healthy food and regular exercise.

In the UK, it is estimated that one in five men and a quarter of women are obese.

Cost

But at a cost of over £55 for a month's treatment, it could end up costing the NHS billions of pounds of money.

The drug still has to be assessed by NHS advisers the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

The review is not expected for another two years and NHS bosses warned the public not to expect its widespread use immediately.

Gill Morgan, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said primary care trusts may be reluctant to prescribe the drug ahead of NICE guidance.

"PCTs receive a fixed allocation of money to deliver all the services for their local community and have to take difficult decisions on competing priorities."

And she added weight loss was "predominantly about diet and exercise".


Preventative measures aren't enough on their own
Dr David Haslam, of the National Obesity Forum

The drug's manufacturer, Sanofi Aventis, has argued the drug represents good value for money when set against the £7bn per year cost of tacking obesity.

Other anti-obesity drugs are already available, but rimonabant is the only one to target the endocannabinoid system, which governs the body's appetite.

In a series of trials involving more than 6,000 patients in the US and Europe, a quarter lost more than 10% of their initial body weight after a year. About half lost more than 5%.

Side effects in some patients included nausea, dizziness and anxiety.

Significant improvements in measures of glucose control, cholesterol and triglyceride blood fats were also seen.

Smoking

Rimonabant, sold under the brand name Acomplia, is currently licensed for the treatment of obese patients, or overweight patients with associated risk factors such as type 2 diabetes or poor cholesterol and triglyceride readings.

But there are also trial data suggesting that the drug can help people give up smoking by overcoming their cravings.

However at present it is only being marketed to tackle obesity.

Dr David Haslam, clinical director of the National Obesity Forum, said the drug offered a real opportunity to get to grips with the obesity crisis.

"Preventative measures aren't enough on their own. It brings into focus the priority that should be given to treatment as well as prevention.

"The launch of rimonabant is important news for patients who are overweight, with type 2 diabetes, or low HDL cholesterol or high triglycerides."

Would you consider taking this drug? Your comments:

I would not take the drug as i keep myself in shape by eating right and exercising. This should not be available on the NHS. If someone isn't willing to stop stuffing their face with burgers then they certainly shouldn't be given a pill costing the tax payer. The money would be better spent on food education and combating aggressive marketing by fast food companies. Jim, London

Oh dear. Another 'answer' to the supposed 'epidemic'. Contrary to the drug industry-fuelled hysteria, obesity is not a disease and those who wish to class it as such are usually those who stand to make money from doing so. Obesity is a symptom of our modern sedentary lifestyles. Offering pills to people such as this will do nothing to improve the health of the public in general who will continue to lead these lifestyles, albeit 10% lighter yet afflicted by bouts of nausea, dizziness and anxiety. James, UK

I bet there are lots of people in the UK who would be willing to pay the £55 per month out of their own pockets to try this drug right away. Yet there doesn't seem to be any publicity about this, and where they can obtain it from. Surely this is the immediate market for Acomplia, with no implications for NHS funding? Caroline, London

If its going to start costing that much money for a course of treatment then I propose a "Fat Tax" for clinically obese people to have a higher rate of income tax to help pay for it. I certainly dont want my tax paid earnings to go towards people who cant be bothered to eat properly. Matt Sims, Frome

Yes I will!! I've been overweight my whole life and have tried everything!! I am a male in my 30's, just about heart attack years, so I will try anything! J van Rensburg, Edinburgh

I have tried numerous obesity drugs over the years with no success, if i was given the opportunity to try this one i would jump at the chance especially if it also increases my chances of stopping smoking. Kill two birds with one stone. £55 might sound a lot but if you can reduce the number of obesity and smoking related admissions to hospital in one go the long term savings would greatly out weigh the initial cost of treatment. Neil Forrest, Tipton, West Midlands

This drug should not be available on the NHS. Being overweight is due to diet and lifestyle and is a personal choice are we such a nanny state we have to use the NHS to assist people to adopt a healthy lifestyle. the NHS resources should be used to tackle cancer and other serious illness not associated with overeating and drinking. Robert Smith, Portsmouth.

 

 

BlinkList blogmarks del.icio.us RegisterEverywhere.com digg Furl NewsVine FindAttorneyOrLawyer.com Reddit Technorati Live Yahoo BusinessNetworkingMe.com StumbleUpon Spurl Google Ask SearchEngineMarketingConsultant.com Netscape Squidoo
Internet Marketing

Description
Rimonabant is an anorectic anti-obesity drug. It is a CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonist. Its main avenue of effect is reduction in appetite.

Rimonabant acts by obstructing the receptors, which control the food intake and energy expenditure. These receptors exist on cells in the body, including those related to weight gain. Thus resulting in reduced appetite.

 
           
 
 
Welcome!

Rimonabant (generic Acomplia). This product is gaining more and more popularity fast! Summer is coming, Phentermine is hard to find. Customers need an alternative! 4rx, is the only one to have it!

Today on Fox News Live with E.D. Hill, we discussed a new weight loss pill, Acomplia (rimonabant). This pill currently being sold in Europe has been seen by many patients struggling with obesity as a "miracle pill."

Many studies have shown that this medication helps patients loose weight when compared to a placebo. Most of the weight reduction results from patients limiting the number of calories they consume on a daily basis. Acomplia helps to control appetite-- something that for many patients involved in weight reduction programs is a major obstacle to success.

Even though the safety of the medication is being monitored, no major problems have yet been reported. There are some mild side effects that people should be aware of, including nausea, dizziness, anxiety and depression.

Many Europeans have accepted the efficacy of this medication. Sweden, for example, has approved reimbursement of the drug through their public service program.

How does it work? It controls the urge to eat. Many are calling this the "anti munchie effect." Acomplia works in the central nervous system by affecting the cannabioids receptors in the brain. Yes, the same receptors that give people the urge to eat when exposed to marijuana.

NEW YORK - A pill that helps you lose weight and quit smoking? That was amazing enough to capture headlines last week. But scientists say the experimental drug might be even more versatile, providing a new tool to help people stop abusing drugs and alcohol, too.

It’s called rimonabant, or Acomplia, and last week researchers reported it could help people not only lose weight but keep it off for two years.

That burnished the drug’s reputation after two studies in March, which suggested it could fight both obesity and smoking, two of humanity’s biggest killers

RIMONABANT

The French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi-Aventis plans to seek federal approval for rimonabant next year.

But the drug’s benefits may go beyond just smokers and obese people, researchers say.

“I think it’s going to have a big impact on the treatment of addiction,” said Dr. Charles O’Brien, an addiction expert at the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Animal studies suggest rimonabant can block the effects of marijuana and fight relapse in alcohol and cocaine abuse, he said. Once it is approved for treating obesity or smoking, “we’ll be free to study it in these other areas and I’ll try to get my hands on it as quickly as possible,” O’Brien said.

He’s not alone in his enthusiasm.

Halting the brain's reward system
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is interested in seeing whether rimonabant can help treat heavy drinkers, said Dr. George Kunos of the institute. No human test results for rimonabant in alcohol abuse have yet been published, he said.

But researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported in 2001 that a single dose of the drug could block the effects of smoked marijuana in people, not just animals. That suggests the drug could be useful in treating marijuana dependence, said Marilyn Huestis, principal investigator of the study. The institute is now pursuing follow-up research, said Huestis, acting chief for chemistry and drug metabolism research at NIDA.

Rimonabant’s versatility traces back to its effects on the brain’s reward system, circuitry that tells you to keep on doing something. Basically, it appears to help break the connection between an activity like smoking and the rewarding feeling it causes in the brain.

The body has its own marijuana-like substances called endocannabinoids, and they activate certain brain cells that in turn can lead to stimulation of the brain’s reward system. Pleasurable things like drinking alcohol are thought to activate a feeling of reward by acting through the endocannabinoid system.

“We think that the (endocannabinoid) system is overactivated by chronic smoking, or perhaps even excessive overeating,” said Dr. Robert Anthenelli of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He’s on the advisory board of Sanofi-Aventis.

Rimonabant blocks the effect of the natural endocannabinoids by keeping them from latching onto the brain cells they normally stimulate, he said. In smokers, for example, that seems to restore the natural balance of the brain reward circuitry, he said.

What makes us fat? A generation ago, the answer was simple -- eating more than we needed to.

That may still be true, but researchers investigating the genetics behind appetite, metabolism and weight gain have learned that putting on pounds is much more complicated than a simple equation of calories. They're finding certain genes allow some people to pig out and not gain weight, while others put on pounds after a slight overindulgence. Other research has shed light on genes that may play a role in how much we crave food.

weight loss

But can these findings lead to surefire treatments to tackle this country's growing weight problem? A consensus among scientists is surprisingly optimistic.

"I truly believe that the discovery of obesity susceptibility genes will identify new molecules and pathways that will lead to effective new medications and other interventions," said Dr. Alan Shuldiner, head of endocrinology, diabetes and nutrition research at the University of Maryland's School of Medicine. Shuldiner adds, however, "I do not think this will occur in the near future."

Still, Andrew Greenberg, director of obesity and metabolism studies at Tufts University, pointed out that obesity research has accelerated in recent years, and that's bound to help scientists find cures sooner.

"The Internet has changed science," he said. "It has changed the pace at which we learn about each other's research and then build on it. Advances are happening faster than ever before."

Rimonabant

An Anti-Obesity Wonder Drug?

In fact, the introduction of new treatments has already begun. In the coming year, the French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis plans to release what many believe could be one of the first truly effective anti-obesity drugs. Preliminary data from large trials have suggested that weight loss is much greater than with any current drugs on the market.

The drug, rimonabant, targets receptors of cannabinoid 1, which stimulates appetite and other cravings (including nicotine) in the brain. By blocking cannabinoid 1's receptors, rimonabant helps people beat their cravings and lose weight.

Shuldiner said so far the trials for rimonabant have been "very impressive. "I believe it will be a very useful agent forweight loss. But not the end-all."

While a drug like rimonabant is designed to help any person beat cravings and lose weight, part of finding "end-all" treatments may lie in figuring out how people's genetics vary and tailoring drugs to match.

A recent study in Spain has offered insight into one such variation. The research, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, examined the role of a gene that may lie behind a phenomenon that so many find frustrating -- you cut back calories but still don't lose weight at the same pace as your thinner friends. Jose Ordovas, director of nutrition and genomics research at Tufts University, said those frustrated dieters may share a variation in a gene called perilipin.

Rimonabant

Targeting a Fat Guardian

Perilipin, he explained, creates a protein that settles around fat droplets and protects the fat from being destroyed.

"That may sound funny these days," Ordovas said. "But in old times, fat was difficult to hold on to, so this protein protected it."

Some versions of the perilipin gene (originally identified by Greenberg and colleagues) make this fat bodyguard stronger, while other mutations make it weaker.

"This means we have identified one of probably many genetic variations that help us distinguish between those who will and won't respond to diet," said Ordovas. "Some people think that patients don't lose weight because they don't follow the recommendations. But in some cases, their bodies may just be more thrifty with the fat."

Figuring out how people's genes react differently when it comes to weight loss might also help prevent dangerous side effects to obesity-fighting drugs as they emerge on the market.

Many may remember the controversy over phen-fen, a once popular obesity-fighting combination of drugs that was recalled in 1997 after some studies and reports showed it caused heart problems in some patients. By tailoring drugs to people with specific genomes, drug manufacturers may be able to avoid such fallouts in the future.

WEIGHTLOSS

"Sometimes side effects only affect a minority of people," said Ordovas. "In the future, we can identify drugs and supplements and target them to people with specific genetic profiles."

The pace at which scientists identify new obesity-related genes has stepped up in the past few years as genetic research gains momentum. But Greenberg cautions that not every new discovery means new cures are on the way.

"We've come a long way in understanding obesity," he said. "But every study has to be carefully replicated. And exercise and diet will always form the cornerstone of any obesity treatment.

Rimonabant

 
 HOME RX MEX
 
 
   
SpyderMap< | Web Portal<