Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that emerging agents from Metabolex/Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Novartis, and Amylin/Eli Lilly are among the most promising drugs in development for metabolic syndrome.

According to the new Pharmacor report Metabolic Syndrome, the emerging second-generation PPAR-gamma modulator from Metabolex/Johnson & Johnson, metaglidasen, holds promise as an insulin-sensitizer. Metaglidasen has been shown to reduce frequency of edema and reduce weight gain, two side effects that have limited the market potential of currently available drugs in this class, such as Takeda's Actos and GlaxoSmithKline's Avandia. Emerging drugs that modulate the incretin pathway-including Merck's Januvia, Novartis's Galvus, and Amylin/Eli Lilly's Byetta LAR-are all shown to improve glucose control and confer protective properties on pancreatic beta cells, making them excellent candidates for metabolic syndrome because they reduce the risk for development of type 2 diabetes. Physicians also cite Sanofi-Aventis's Acomplia , which is currently used to treat obesity, as a suitable metabolic syndrome treatment because it has been shown to improve patients' metabolic profiles in addition to causing weight loss.

The report also finds that the lack of a consensus definition of metabolic syndrome and controversy about its associated cardiovascular risk continue to be the greatest barriers to effective management of this disorder.

"In response to a lack of recognition of metabolic syndrome by reimbursement and regulatory authorities, pharmaceutical companies are realigning their pipelines to target subpopulations of patients who have multiple components of metabolic syndrome, such as obese patients with type 2 diabetes," said Decision Resources Analyst Donny Wong, Ph.D. "Current definitions of metabolic syndrome include patients with established type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, as well as patients with preconditions of these disorders."

Source: http://sev.prnewswire.com/&nb...;

Its recent approval for sale in Switzerland has brought droplets of fresh showers on the promising weight loss drug. Lyn Youngman senior marketing executive at Acomplia Rimonabant Pill, “Acomplia conquers yet again with its approval for sale in Switzerland. Although Swiss weight is a small market but nevertheless it marks the spread of Acomplia usage”.

Acomplia received approval for sale in Switzerland on 3rd of April, 2007. it is to used only when other approaches like exercise and regulated dietary habits fail to work in sourcing weight loss. Swiss medical authorities have approved it for usage by individuals with a BMI 30 (obese); and individuals with a BMI 27 with at least one cardio metabolic risk factors.

Weight loss medication, Acomplia is already approved for sale in the UK, France, Germany, Mexico, Ireland, Finland, Norway, Austria, Argentina, amid other countries.

Diet drug rimonabant (Acomplia / Zimulti ) was approved for sale on April 3rd by Switzerland for treatment of obese or overweight patients with at least one type of associated cardiovascular risk.

The approval by Switzerland, which is not a member of the European Union, is similar to the EU marketing approval last June, where the drug was cleared for use in combination with diet and exercise for overweight and obese patients with linked health risks such as type 2 diabetes.

Sanofi-Aventis said regulator Swissmedic authorized the use of the drug for "for obese patients (BMI greater than 30) or for overweight patients (BMI over 27) with at least one associated cardiovascular risk factor, after insufficient weight reduction following physical activity or alimentary adaptation."

Switzerland is a relatively small market, and the news of Acomplia's approval hardly offsets recent disappointing announcements on reimbursement by state social security systems in the large EU countries of France and Germany.

Source: http://www.acompliareport.com...;

While Sanofi's diet drug Rimonabant (Acomplia / Zimulti) remains stalled at the FDA, a potential competitor currently in phase III trials, Merck's MK-0364, now has an official generic name: Taranabant.

Taranabant is Merck's cannabinoid-1 (CB-1) receptor inverse agonist, and from reports we periodically receive from participants in the phase III trial of this diet drug, taranabant is as effective for weight loss as rimonabant with fewer side effects.

While Merck has not reported interim results from the phase III trial, which obviously could prove different from the anecdotal reports we receive, the company has said the pill was well tolerated in extensive phase II trials and that it plans to seek FDA approval for Taranabant next year.

Meanwhile Pfizer, which also has a CB-1 receptor antagonist in phase III trials, has as of yet not moved forward with a name for the diet drug known only as CP-945598.

Merck and Pfizer both will be watching intently the coming June FDA advisory panel meeting on rimonabant, which is expected to focus heavily on safety issues associated with this novel class of drugs that affect receptors in the brain.

Source: http://www.acompliareport.com...;