Advancement in technology came as a boon for the world. However, it took away from the people living here the quality of patience. The generation of today would prefer to do anything rather than wait patiently for results. An instance of this is noticeable in regards to losing weight. Dieting and exercising give results late. But the present generation is not ready to wait that long. Understanding the mood of people scientists have come up with a miraculous diet pill called acomplia. Acomplia increases the rate with which weight is lost in conjunction with diet and physical workout. Acomplia is not alone in the weight loss drug market. Many other drugs like Adipex, Xenical, Meridia, Ionamin, etc. are readily available to people all over the world for treatment of obesity. But often these drugs have failed to deliver. The primary reason for the failure of these drugs is their ineffectiveness or side effects. Once hyped weight loss drug Fen-phen was taken off the markets of the US for resulting in heart valve problems. A recent case has been of Meridia, which has been reported to have severe side effects. Acomplia has drawn significant interest even before it received approval for sale. The reason for the interest is the pioneering technology that it makes use of to help lose weight. The target of acomplia is the Cannabinoid type I or CB1 receptors present in ones brain and fat cells. These receptors signal to the brain that the stomach is empty. The researchers at Sanofi-Aventis, who developed the pill, break the signal system with the use of Acomplia. Acomplia, which is the brand name of Rimonabant, blocks the CB1 receptors and thus reduces hunger pangs and cravings for nicotine- an amazing fact for the researchers itself. The effects of acomplia diet pill can be ascertained up to now by the clinical trials that were conducted. The obese study participants reported losing 19 pounds in a period of two years by taking this drug. This implies that the patients lost around 1/5th of a pound every week. Effects of acomplia in reducing cravings for nicotine has not yet been proved and clinical trials are still going on. If this drug is proved to have positive effect on smoking cravings, it will become the most sought after drug. Acomplia is currently available in very few countries including the UK. In UK, the drug got approval only in June of 2006. Sanofi plans to launch the drug in Denmark, Ireland, Germany, Finland and Norway during the second half of 2006. FDA has still not cleared it for sale in the US. Similarly, in Canada the drug is awaiting approval. |
Home
