Sanofi Aventis: “First in class” obesity drug to launch in UK first

Sanofi-Aventis, the world’s third-largest pharmaceuticals company, revealed that Acomplia (rimonabant), its “first in class” anti-obesity drug, has received approval from the European Union to launch the drug in Europe.

The French company says the first launch will take place in the UK this July in the form of a once-daily 20mg prescription tablet. Later in 2006, the drug will be launched in Ireland, Germany, Finland, Denmark and Norway.

Rimonabant works by blocking CB receptors in the brain and peripheral organs. These are heavily involved in the metabolism of glucose and lipids, the main nutrients that cause the accumulation of body fat. By blocking the CB receptors, the activity of the endocannabinoid system, which Sanofi-Aventis describes as playing a potentially “important role” regulating body weight, is reduced.

Dr Luc Van Gaal, lead trial investigator and professor of diabetology, metabolism and clinical nutrition at Antwerp University Hospital, remarked: “Until now, we have not had a medication that addresses the multiple cardiometabolic risk factors that put patients at risk for cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes.”

“Rimonabant is an important advance to treat the multiple risk factors which contribute to the global risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which will offer benefits beyond current treatments for individual risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes,” he concluded.

According to the UK’s Blood Pressure Association, as of 2003, 23 per cent of women and 21 per cent of men were considered to be obese, while more than half the adult population is overweight.

One of the risk factors associated with obesity – high blood pressure – can be reduced by losing weight. The Blood Pressure Association says that for every ten kilograms in weight lost, blood pressure should decrease by between five and ten mmHg.

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