New diabetes drug controls blood sugar and weight

The diabetes drug Rimonabant, manufactured by Sanofi Aventis under the brand name Acomplia, could have a significant impact on both blood sugar and body weight amongst patients suffering from type 2 diabetes who have not been treated before.
Sanofi, at the International Diabetes Congress in Cape Town yesterday, revealed the results of the study . According to their trial, patient body weight was significantly reduced amongst those who took rimonabant compared to the placebo group. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of many standard diabetes treatments is weight gain.
Julio Rosenstock, MD, the trial investigator and professor of the University of Texas, said: “This study suggests that rimonabant can achieve improvement in blood glucose with the added benefit of significant weight loss and improvement in other risk factors.”
Rimonabant is not yet available in the USA, but it has been approved for use in Europe .