Acomplia – on the 'good side' of the pharmacologic ledger?

At first glance, it seems the company’s scientists got it all right. They were impeccable in their diligence to get the molecules right. And when they were all ready for the applause and the results, the opposite happened. The scientific community was up in arms, pointing out that the drug had failed to address an insight well known to those in the know – most obese people if not all, were found to harbour psychologically disturbed thoughts. How would a medicine like Acomplia do justice to these people, considering that it had confirmed side effects – and it actually made things worse for those suffering from depression or the risk of depression.

The bottomline - those taking Acomplia have an increased risk of developing severe depression and anxiety. And higher irritability, insomnia, panic attacks, aggression and suicide has made the score board against this seemingly innovative drug a case of more harm than good. As some experts said, 20% weight loss with more than 20% chance of risk of depression is not a very good idea. Psychiatric negatives like depressed mood disorders and anxiety, were not what the inventors of Acomplia had bargained for. In fact, Sanofi-Aventis who had pumped in millions of dollars into R & D, had to defer the launch of the brand name Zimulti in the United States.

What next on the weight loss scenario? Is there hope for those with over weight problems or will this be a battle that will never be won? No one knows, but the general consensus is that it will be quite a while before the perfect drug is discovered. Till them Acomplia remains in our minds, in the medical books and in some countries shelves as the example of ‘so near yet so far’.