Roche’s Xenical ‘has big benefits for obese teenagers’

Xenical, the Roche weight loss medication, could have major benefits for obese teenagers looking to lose weight, the company has said.

Roche claims that Xenical treatment in obese teenagers could help patients from both physical and mental standpoints, based on the results of a year-long analysis of Xenical users aged between 12 and 16.

Patients using the drug demonstrated an average weight loss of 2.4 kilograms, in comparison to 0.4 kilograms for patients using the placebo.

Furthermore, quality of life for Xenical users was “significantly” improved by advances in physical appearance, athletic competence, self-worth and social acceptance, in comparison to patients receiving the placebo.

Professor Jean-Pierre Chanoine, head of the endocrinology and diabetes unit at the British Columbia Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, stated: “The problem of adolescent obesity has reached alarming levels, with dire health consequences.”

“It’s reassuring to know we have a safe and effective treatment option with Xenical. The significant benefits seen in adolescents who respond early also provide a useful predictor for long-term treatment success,” he added.

Xenical is available in the UK, although in June, Sanofi-Aventis launched Acomplia, which the company says is the first drug to target multiple cardiometabolic risk factors, with expected revenues of over 1.5 million pounds.

Orin Palit of AIG Private Bank told Bloomberg: “If it helps overweight people with the other health problems they have, the drug has a good chance to be seen as a therapeutic medication. With that in mind, the sales forecasts seem credible.”

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