Weight Loss Drugs - weight loss information

When Sanofi-Aventis SA reported data on a new obesity pill at a medical conference in March 2004, it generated instant buzz.

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Acomplia is an oral prescription medication which has created waves in the weight loss market ever since its launch in the UK. Subsequent to which it has been launched in various other countries such as France, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Argentina, Denmark, Holland and Sweden. Some of the prospective countries which can witness the launch of this weight loss medication include Italy, Spain, and Mexico.

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Sanofi-Aventis said on Monday a U.S. panel of health experts would review its anti-obesity pill Acomplia in June, a move which analysts said caused new concerns over whether it would win U.S. marketing approval by the Food and Drug Administration.

Shares in the French drugmaker lost as much as 2 percent and were off 1.5 percent at 64.39 euros by 1454 GMT, while the DJ Stoxx European health sector index fell 0.5 percent.

"It (the panel meeting) indicates there are more question marks or concerns that need to be ironed out in a broader forum. It's a way for the FDA to hedge itself," Karl Heinz Koch, analyst at Vontobel said.

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The NBA suspended Pistons reserve guard Lindsey Hunter for 10 games without pay Wednesday because he tested positive for the banned substance phentermine.

The suspension began immediately, meaning Hunter missed Wednesday's home game against the Cavaliers.

Phentermine is a common ingredient in prescription weight-loss pills but is banned by the league as a performance-enhancing diuretic.

Hunter said he took some weight-loss pills, which were prescribed to his wife, Ivy, in January while trying to come back from a foot injury. The drug, an amphetamine derivative, acts as an appetite suppressant.

"I was just as shocked. I said, 'Whaaat?' " Hunter said, when he was notified of the suspension Wednesday afternoon by the NBA.

"It's not a steroid or anything. I'm not any bigger or anything. It is what it is. I've never had a problem like this in my life.

"It's just sort of a bonehead mistake by me."

Hunter will be docked $243,902, the 10-game equivalent of his $2 million salary.

Hunter, accompanied by his wife, discussed his suspension before Wednesday's game and then had to leave. A suspension bars a player from being around the team. He will not go on the Pistons' nine-day, five-game West Coast trip, which begins today.

Hunter said he was randomly drug-tested a month ago but did not receive the results until Wednesday. He will be eligible to return March 25 against the Bucks.

"Ever since Lindsey's come back, we've played well," coach Flip Saunders said. "He's a vital part of our team. There's not coincidence that our defense got a lot better (when Hunter came back).

"It's a big loss. It's (Hunter taking the diet pills) not something that was done to get stronger or circumvent something."

Source: Google News

Even though diet pill rimonabant (Acomplia / Zimulti) remains stalled at the FDA, and in the next few years may face stiff competition from several drugs already in or moving into phase III trials, a leading research firm forecasts that Acomplia will be the clinical gold standard for treating obesity in 2010.

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Acomplia was a ground-breaking new breed of medication which targeted the body’s little understood endocannabinoid system when it was launched in the UK last June but it could soon have one or more rivals. Both Merck and Pfizer have similar drugs in Phase III clinical trials which are said to be producing very promising results. Merck has already announced that it intends to apply for regulatory approval in 2008 and it is believed that Pfizer will be aiming to seek approval at around the same time. There is another drug which works in a similar way to Acomplia under development by Bristol Myers Squibb but it is believed that the development of this product is significantly behind those of Merck and Pfizer.

A short review comparing three current drugs - orlistat, sibutramine, and rimonabant.

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Acomplia, or the generic name rimonabant, is a medication that may soon be approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of overeating and possibly even for smoking, but not for alcohol.

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