The manufacturer of Acomplia (rimonabant) Sanofi-Aventis reported that according to the findings of a recent medical trial the drug significantly improved glucose control in patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

The 11-month trial called ARPEGIO involved 368 patients with type 2 diabetes who had been treated with standard insulin-diet-exercise therapies for an average of six years prior to the study. Presenting the results of the trial at the 68th session of the American Diabetes Association Sanofi-Aventis officials claimed that Acomplia had improved the glucose control three times as compared to insulin treatment and healthy lifestyle alone. The group of patients receiving Acomplia also experienced fewer adverse effects related to the treatment such as compared to the control group (16.8% and 19.3% respectively).
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Sanofi-Aventis said a trial of its Acomplia drug involving patients with type 2 diabetes showed a significant improvement in glucose control compared to insulin.

The company said glucose control was three times more pronounced when rimonabant - the generic name for Acomplia - was used rather than insulin and lifestyle advice alone.

Sanofi-Aventis (nyse: SNY - news - people ) said last year it aims to submit rimonabant for worldwide approval in 2009 as a treatment for type 2 diabetes.

Rimonabant has already been approved by the EU with an indication for treating obesity, and is now on sale in a number of European countries.

But in the US the company expects a four-year delay before gaining approval for the drug, for which it withdrew its new drug application after trials revealed possible risks for patients suffering from depression.

Sanofi-Aventis said in the type 2 diabetes trial, symptoms of anxiety were reported for 14 percent of patients in the rimonabant group, versus 5 percent in the control group, while 14 percent showed symptoms of depression in the rimonabant group, versus 7.5 percent in the control group.

According to the data provided by the Decision Resources Research company, the market of anti-obesity medications and therapies is likely to grow five times by the year 2016.
The company’s analysts anticipate that the market worth approximately $478 million 2 years ago will reach almost $3 billion within the next 8 years in the USA and Western Europe.

The report projects that such an incredible market growth will be mostly driven by the expected launch of a number of therapies such as Lorcaserin manufactured by Arena Pharmaceuticals and a combination of Pramlintide and Leptin delivered by Amylin. However, the report also predicts that the cautious attitude of the FDA towards the newly developed anti-obesity medications can significantly slow down the projected growth rates. The authors of the report base their opinion on the case of Rimonabant (Acomplia) manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis and the safety concerns over similar drugs in the class such as tranabant.