Sanofi-Aventis' experimental weight-loss drug Acomplia helped obese diabetics control their blood sugar and lose weight in a new study.
Acomplia significantly cut the level of HbA1c, a measure of blood-sugar control, to within a manageable range in twice as many patients as those given a placebo, said Marc Cruzel, senior vice president at Paris-based Sanofi. The research was presented at the American Diabetes Assn. meeting in San Diego.
U.S. and European regulators are reviewing the treatment from Sanofi, Europe's second-largest drug maker. The trial was the last of four that the Paris-based company submitted to the agencies. Acomplia, which may also help patients stop smoking and lose weight, could reach annual revenue of $7 billion, said analyst Eric Le Berrigaud at Raymond James Asset Management.
"We have a treatment that allows us to treat a cluster of risks," Cruzel said in a media briefing in Paris ahead of the presentation in San Diego. The latest data show that Acomplia, also known by its generic name rimonabant, "is good for diabetics."
