Sanofi Drug Helps Diabetic Sugar Levels

Sanofi-Aventis SA's obesity drug Acomplia can improve blood-sugar levels and weight loss in diabetic patients, according to a study presented at the World Diabetes Congress in South Africa.

The findings from the clinical trial have shown newly diagnosed patients with type-two diabetes who weren't taking antidiabetic drugs had significantly improved blood-sugar levels and lost more weight with Acomplia, compared with a dummy pill over a period of six months. In addition, Acomplia -- also known as rimonabant -- helped raise good cholesterol and control triglycerides, compared with a placebo.

The trial, the second study demonstrating that Acomplia can improve blood-sugar levels in people with type-two diabetes, was carried out on 278 diabetic patients whose sugar levels weren't responding adequately using a controlled diet alone.

Acomplia, hailed as a potential multibillion-dollar "blockbuster" drug and sold in several European countries, is the first in a new class of drugs that help with weight loss by curtailing cravings. Because it also controls blood-sugar levels, it might also become a future breakthrough to treat diabetics.

Given its potential as a diabetes drug, Acomplia is undergoing a number of clinical trials across the diabetes spectrum, from prediabetes patients to people who have to rely on daily insulin injections.

Acomplia's benefits shown in the trial support its use as a diabetes drug that is completely different from antidiabetic pills now on the market, said Julio Rosenstock, director of the Dallas Diabetes and Endocrine Center, an investigator in the trial.

Among the side effects reported by patients taking Acomplia were nausea, depressed mood and skin tingling, which led to a discontinuation rate of 9.4%, compared with 2.1% in the placebo patients.

"While Sanofi claims Acomplia is an important treatment for diabetes, the data have to be tempered with the side-effect issues," said Navid Malik, an analyst with London-based brokerage Collins Stewart.

In the trial, more than 50% of patients taking Acomplia achieved blood-sugar levels below 7%, the target for good glucose control, as recommended by the American Diabetes Association.

In addition, these improvements were linked to a weight loss of 14.7 pounds, compared with 5.9 pounds in patients on placebo.

Around 5% of adults world-wide have been diagnosed with diabetes, with type-two constituting the majority of diabetes cases in developed countries.