January - 4 - 2007
Further analysis of the effects of rimonabant treatment (5 or 20 mg/day) in overweight/obese patients with dyslipidemia included in the phase III RIO-Lipids trial showed that the drug significantly reduced mean levels of ALT, AST and alkaline phosphatase after 1 year compared to placebo. The percentage of patients with ALT levels above the upper limit of normal decreased from 10.2 to 3.1% in the rimonabant 20 mg group. Changes in body weight were also correlated with changes in ALT in the rimonabant 20 mg group (Despres, J-P. et al. Circulation [Am Heart Assoc Sci Sess (Nov 12-15, Chicago) 2006] 2006, 114(18, Suppl. 2): Abst 1192). In a preclinical study in LDL- receptor-deficient mice, rimonabant also demonstrated the ability to prevent atherosclerosis. Rimonabant-treated animals did not gain weight, unlike controls. And while controls developed atherosclerosis in the aorta and aortic root, those given rimonabant had an >80% reduction in atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta and a 71% decrease in the aortic sinus. This effect was correlated with improvements in lipids with rimonabant and did not appear to be due to the drug's effect on food intake, as atherosclerosis also developed in untreated animals fed the same amount as rimonabant-treated animals (Dol-Gleizes, F. et al. Circulation [Am Heart Assoc Sci Sess (Nov 12-15, Chicago) 2006] 2006, 114(18, Suppl. 2): Abst 1364).