March 31st 2008 - An experimental weight loss drug currently called taranabant helped dieters shed an average of 14.5 pounds over the course of one year.

There is still no official trademarked name for which Merck will most certainly obtain. It is still in the trial stages of development/testing but apparently Merck will apply to the FDA sometime 2008. 

The latest phase 3 studies of taranabant shows that this medication led to Significant weight loss when taken with a proper diet and exercise. This is very good news for Merck/Taranabant it the fight on obesity. The study showed that people taking the medication experienced more than Double the weightloss than those on a placebo

Researchers studied more than 800 overweight and obese people on a diet and exercise program; 28% of those given the drug taranabant lost more than 10% of their body weight compared with 8% of those taking placebo.

The one-year study involved 414 patients randomly assigned to take 2 milligrams of taranabant daily and 417 patients given placebo. Results showed that patients reached their lowest weight about nine months into the study.

Patients taking taranabant also experienced a rise in levels of HDL"good" cholesterol and a drop in triglyceride levels. The most common side effects were nausea and diarrhea, but less than 2% of patients dropped out because of these problems.

Taranabant is the generic name given to this  new trial medication being tested for the fight against obesity.

Taranbant helps people resist food cravings by partially shutting down the cannabinoid system.At the 2-milligram dose, taranabant was not associated with an increased risk of depression or suicidal thoughts, says researcher Louis Aronne, MD, clinical professor of medicine at Weill-Cornell Medical College and director of the comprehensive weight control program at New York Presbyterian Hospital.  People taking the drug were also no more likely to suffer from crying, tearfulness, or anxiety than those on placebo. In fact, irritability was the only psychiatric symptom experienced by more patients taking the 2-milligram dose of taranabant compared with placebo, says Noreen Verbrugge, a spokesperson for Merck Research Laboratories.

Taranabant is a cannabinoid-1 (CB-1) receptor inverse agonist. Taranabant is a member of the same class of drugs as Zimulti. Zimulti recently failed to win approval from an FDA advisory panel, mainly because of fears that it could lead to depression and suicidal thoughts in some patients. The drug was previously known as Acomplia.

The study also included patients given a higher dose of taranabant. But due to a high rate of side effects, only the 2-milligram dose will be studied further, says. Verbrugge.

Merck makes taranabant and sponsored the study.
 
SOURCES: American College of Cardiology 57th Annual Scientific Session, Chicago, March 30-April 2, 2008. Louis Aronne, MD, clinical professor of medicine, Weill-Cornell Medical College; director, comprehensive weight control program, New York Presbyterian Hospital. Noreen Verbrugge, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, N.J. Dan Jones, MD, president, American Heart Association; dean, University of Mississippi School of Medicine.