The Change Mariner

Has Obesity Met Its Match In Rimonabant?

BW Online:

The French pharma Sanofi is getting positive results so far with a drug that suppresses appetite. And it may have cardiac benefits, too

At the American College of Cardiology annual meeting last month, Paris-based Sanofi-Synthelabo caused a stir when it unveiled data on a promising experimental drug for obesity. The drug, rimonabant, seems to stem cravings in humans, thus reducing obese patients' appetites. If it proves safe and effective, rimonabant could see peak annual sales of $3.6 billion, says Jean-Francois Dehecq, the pharmaceutical company's CEO.

Few treatments for obesity have garnered as much excitement in recent years. The existing prescription drugs got attention when they were introduced several years ago, but that has faded amid some less than favorable publicity. The two approved for use in the U.S. -- Roche's Xenical and Abbott Labs' Meridia -- both offer modest weight loss and unpleasant side effects. A drug that produced significant weight loss, Wyeth's Redux, was removed from the U.S. market in 1997 after being linked to a deadly heart condition in some patients.

Posted by Bob King at April 9, 2004 08:52 AM | TrackBack
Related Categories: Industry - Healthcare | Industry - Pharmaceutical/Biotech | Quadrant - Technological | Theme - 'Obesity Epidemic'

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