Acomplia Finally Gets OK for the UK

The UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has approved the use of anti-obesity drug Acomplia (Rimonabant). The green light was given after the medication received positive appraisal from the institute in March.

Acomplia is recommended as an addition to exercise and proper diet for obese and overweight patients who found two other weight-loss medications Reductil (orlistat) and Xenical (sibutramine) ineffective. Now Acomplia can be prescribed by doctors from the state healthcare system of the UK. However, the drug still has to wait for approval in Germany and the United States. Sanofi-Aventis the manufacturer of Acomplia sais they expect that new clinical trials in Type 2 diabetes patients will influence the approval process.

The findings of the trial showed that Acomplia not only helps people affected with Type 2 diabetes loose weight but is also instrumental in lowering the cardiovascular risk beyond the level that could be accounted for by the Weight Loss alone. Acomplia was also shown to improve blood sugar control.

Obesity is a serious condition that often requires medical treatment and can’t be overcome with healthy lifestyle and diet alone. Excessive weight increases the risk of development of type 2 diabetes and can be linked to cardiovascular disease. Almost half of Britons diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are overweight.