QUICKLINKS AND VIEW OPITONS
New diet drug for losing weight and stopping smoking
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Thursday, March 11, 2004 3:36 am Email this article
A drug called Acomplia (rimonabant), which helped people lose 20 pounds and helps smokers stop smoking without gaining weight, may be available in the U.S. in a year or two.
It works by blocking signals in the brain that a stimulated by marijuana, a new approach to help people lose weight.
The results of two studies were reported at in New Orleans at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology.
The larger of the two studies, conducted by Dr. Jean-Pierre Despres of Laval University in Quebec City, Canada, involved 1,036 overweight volunteers. They were instructed to cut their calorie intake by 600 calories per day and given either Acomplia (rimonabant) or a placebo.
ONE YEAR WEIGHT LOSS
Those receiving the higher of two doses lost 20 pounds in a year compared to 5 pounds for those taking a placebo.
Nearly half lost 10 percent of their body weight.
The drug seems to work by reducing appetite.
HDL AND TRIGLYCERIDES
HDL levels rose 23 percent, and triglyceride levels fell 15 percent in those given Acomplia (rimonabant).
DRUG COMPANY
The drug was developed by Sanofi-Synthelabo, a French company, which plans to seek approval from the FDA after more studies are finished next year.
REFERENCE
Anon. New drug for smokers, overeaters. The Associated Press. 2004 Mar 9.
Articles on the same subject can be found here:
COMMENTS
On Aug 28, 2004 at 5:41 am Karen Crawley wrote:
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Is this drug available in other countries?
On Aug 28, 2004 at 7:54 am Larry Hobbs wrote:
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Karen,
No, I don't believe it is.
On Sep 08, 2004 at 12:46 am R.K.Chugh wrote:
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Article on Acomplia featured in Times of India on 8th sept.,2004, after having read it, I want this medicine for my daughter who is 24 years. My question is it useful for women who are non smokers? What is the price of Acomplia-20mg. And how do you compare it with Orlistat made in USA. I am not a doctor but as mentioned above I want this for my daughter who is over weght.
I request for your response, may be you can send reply on my personal email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Thanks
from R.K.Chugh
On Sep 08, 2004 at 6:13 am Larry Hobbs wrote:
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R. K. Chugh,
As far as I know, Acomplia has not been approved yet in any country. Therefore, as far as I know, it is not yet for sale.
I do know know how it will compare to Xenical (orlistat).
The results look roughly similar.
On Nov 14, 2004 at 1:39 pm B. Smith wrote:
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Mr. Hobbs,
Is Acomplia available as an experimental treatment at all? I am a 49 y.o. 300 lb male w/ hypertension. I also have had multiple spinal surgeries (and stenosis) which radically restricts the level and quantity of exercize required, in combination with dietary calorie reduction, to bring about significant weight loss. At this point, both my doctor and I are grasping at straws. Any chance to get it on further studies or experimental application?
Also, is Acomplia a good fit for someone with hypertension? Thanks in advance for your reply.
On Nov 14, 2004 at 6:19 pm Larry Hobbs wrote:
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B,
Acomplia is not available yet, nor am I aware of any way to get it as an experimental treatment.
I imagine there are ongoing studies until the drug gets FDA approval, however, I do not know how someone goes about trying to become part of one of these studies.
Is Acomplia OK for someone with hypertension? Yes, it appears to be OK based on the brief reports that I have seen.
Do not be fooled that newer is better. An overwhelming majority of the weight loss doctors who I have talked to over the past 11 years prefer phentermine to any other weight loss drug.
This is true even for patients with hypertension, because once a person starts losing weight their blood pressure comes down.
It does not appear to me that Acomplia will be any more effective than phentermine, but will surely cost considerably more.
You might want to show your doctor the articles about Zonegran (zonisamide). Note that Dr. Jay Piatek, who specializes in weight loss, combines Zonegran with phentermine.
http://fatnews.com/index.php/weblog/C73/
On Nov 14, 2004 at 7:03 pm Larry Hobbs wrote:
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B,
As far as diets, low-carb diets are best for helping people lose large amounts of weight.
They are superior to low-fat/low-calorie diets because patients do not feel hungry the way they do on low-calorie diets.
Eleven years ago, I believed that low-fat diets were the way to lose weight, but doctor after doctor after doctor told me they used low-carb diets, and said things like "Low-carb diets ALWAYS work." They finally helped me to realize this was true.
I also believed that high-protein/low-carb diets were dangerous, causing kidney damage and bone loss, but the research shows that this is not the case.
Low-carb diets also reduce blood pressure.
Dr. Michael Eades, author the book "Protein Power" does a good job of explaining exactly how he uses low-carb diets for helping patients lose weight.
http://fatnews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/protein-power-michael-eades/
Other articles on low-carb diets can be found here:
http://fatnews.com/index.php/weblog/C188/
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