Computed Axial Tomography (Cat) scans of patients taking Acomplia (Rimonabant) have proved that the drug is effective in treating dangerous abdominal obesity which is known to cause diabetes.
An international study of Rimonabant in abdominally obese patients sponsored by Sanofi-Aventis confirmed that the diet drug can significantly reduce visceral fat and fatty liver index. 799 patients participated in the ADAGIO-LIPIDIS clinical trial. Apart form the abdominal obesity they were also diagnosed with low HDL-cholesterol dyslipimidia which can develop in atherosclerosis. The purpose of the trial was to evaluate the effect of Rimonabant on the levels of HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol and TG (triglycerides) plasma in abdominally obese patients when prescribed over 1 year period together with a hypocaloric diet. The secondary objective was to asses the safety and tolerability of the patients to 20 mg of Rimonabant.
According to the leading researcher Dr Després of Université Laval (Quebec), patients receiving Rimonabant (Acomplia) had an average increase in HDL cholesterol of 9.7% while their TG plasma level decreased by 15.5%. It was the first Rimonabant trial to use Cat scanning. The results of cat scans suggest that taking the drug for 1 year results in more than 5.1% loss of subcutaneous fat as well as considerable decrease in the fatty liver index.
