Prescribing Advice for GPs

New Obesity Treatment Launched

June 29, 2006 at 3:54 pm | In Prescribing Extra - Drugs |  Print | No Comments

Rimonabant (Acomplia^®) has been launched in the UK. It is licensed as an adjunct to diet and exercise in patients with a BMI > 30kg/m² or a BMI > 27 kg/m² and associated risk factors such as Type II Diabetes.

The full Summary of Product Characteristics is available online. It should be noted that this drug is black triangle and all suspected adverse reactions should be reported.

It is expected that there will be a high level of media interest, especially as this drug is a cannabinoid-1 (CB₁) receptor blocker. At this time there are no comparative studies comparing this new treatment with the currently available treatment options.

The costs of the available treatments are:

• Orlistat (Xenical^®) – £39.51 per month
• Sibutramine (Reductil^®) – £41.29 to £45.14 per month
• Rimonobant (Acomplia^®) – £55.20 per month

Action: Based on the lack of comparative studies and the higher acquisition cost this drug provides a fourth-line choice in patients who fail to respond to diet and exercise followed by both existing treatment options.