FDA approval of diet drug rimonabant (Acomplia ) failed. That did not happen — in fact, rimonabant may never make it to market in the U.S,
and the great diet hope for 2008 is Merck’s diet drug taranabant.

Everybody knows that there is a big rivality between Sanofi and Merk.
Despite all the efforts Sanofi Aventis failed to get Acomplia in the US market.
Specialists reported that Acomplia is to dangerous because of adverse reaction (patients suffered depression) and suicide risk.
Obese Americans eager to hear more about taranabant got a teaser Jan. 10th, but the generally encouraging report in the January issue of the journal Cell Metabolism was again based on results from a phase II trial and not the big phase III trial underway these past two years.
The news, in fact, was very similar to the report on phase II results that Merck presented at the annual scientific meeting of the Obesity Society back on Oct. 24th. In the journal article, researchers said study participants taking varying doses of taranabant lost 8 to 14 pounds over a 12-week period.
Merck researchers said between one-fifth and one-third of patients in the phase II trial of taranabant experienced psychiatric adverse effects, including depressed mood, irritability, anger, mood swings, tearfulness, anxiety, insomnia, and nervousness.
Presumably, there will be more and better information on side-effect issues when Merck reports on results of its phase III taranabant trial later this year. No date has yet been set for the first reports from this trial.
We hope that Taranabant will have better luck and obtain access in US.
Not that We take their side but We have concrete facts to belive that more and more obese people buy Generic form of Acomplia and the results are slower and the side effects of Rimonabant are not well known.

No adverse reaction were reported with people using rimonabant and the benefits are impressive.