What Experts Say about Rimonabant
A lot of studies have been conducted by many concerned entities regarding the effectiveness and safety of the newly introduced drug by Sanofi-Aventis, a French pharmaceutical company, known as Accomplia. Many people kept an eye on the results and validity of the studies to ensure that this product, which aroused hope in many people, is safe and true. A number of people have been tricked by a lot of false promises by many abusive advertises. Here are what the experts say about the wonder drug, based on nothing else but hard medical facts.
A one-year RIO-Europe study was conducted by Van Gaal LF, Rissanen AM, Scheen AJ, Ziegler O, and Rossner S. regarding the effects of the CB1 receptor blocker rimonabant on weight reduction and metabolic risk factors in overweight and obese patients. They got a sample of one thousand five hundred and seven patients. They gave some of the participant’s placebo pills while other participants 5 mg. and 20 mg. rimonabant pills. They excluded people with psychological or mental illness. Those who intended to quit smoking were excluded from the sample. They garnered significant results from the study. The participants who received a dosage of rimonabant experienced significant reduction in weight versus those who only received placebo pills. The study highly indicated that the drug is indeed effective for weight reduction.
No matter how effective a drug is, people are also equally concerned by the safety of their health while using the drug. A major side effect found from the drug after other people have tried it is depression. Some people have experienced mild depressions and abnormal mood swings after using the drug. This observation was supported by findings from the study mentioned above. However, they study showed that there was no significant change in the person’s mental condition after one year.
A study from the University of Leige, Belguim, used over 1000 samples. All the participants had type two-diabetes and were either overweight or obese. Some patients were given placebo pills while other were given either 5mg. or 20mg. rimonabant pills. Patients who received placebo pills lost an average of 1.4 kilograms, while patients who were given 5 mg. pills lost 2.3 kilograms. Patients who got 20 mg. rimonabant pills lost 5.3 kilograms. The study concluded the effectiveness of rimonabant drug. Aside from weight reduction, the drug also showed positive significant results on patient’s glucose balance, which indicates that the drug also help in curing diabetes. In line with the effectiveness of the drug, experts still suggest that overweight or obese patients should still undergo proper diet and exercise to increase the weight reduction further.
The UC College of Medicine, on the other hand, conducted a study regarding the effect of the drug on smoking cessation. They found out that the drug is able to double the tendency of a person to quit smoking. These findings have inspired a lot of health concerned organizations to look into the features of the drug.
Even though the U.S. approval is still pending, a lot of scientific studies reveal that rimonabant drug is indeed reliable and usable for the public.