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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >> "These findings support the use of 20 mg per day of rimonabant, in addition to diet and exercise, as a new approach to reduce body weight and improve blood glucose control as well as several other cardiovascular risk factors in overweight or obese patients with type 2 diabetes that was inadequately controlled by standard treatment," the researchers concluded.
But other experts noted that the drug does have one potential drawback: its association with an increased risk of depression.
In an accompanying journal editorial, Stephen J. Cleland and Naveed Sattar from Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow, and the BHF Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre at the University of Glasgow noted that as many as 50 percent of obese patients suffer from depression.
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"In this context, the suggestion that rimonabant increases depression and anxiety is concerning," they wrote. Studies are needed to assess the effect of the drug on depression among obese diabetic patients, they said.
Julissa Viana, a spokeswoman for Sanofi-Aventis, said that the issue of depression is one the company is looking at.
There were people in the trial with mild to moderate depression who did not suffer any adverse consequences, according to Viana. "All recovered with medication or counseling," she said.
And, Viana said, depression is not a common side effect of rimonabant. "It falls beneath the 5 percent threshold for a major side effect," she said. "The indication is clear about who it should be used for," she added.
Right now, there is a warning in Europe that rimonabant should not be given to patients who have serious uncontrolled psychiatric illness, such as a major depression. Treatment for depression should be started first, Viana said. "We don't have data about the use of rimonabant and antidepressant medications," she added.
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