sanofi-aventis announced that Acomplia (rimonabant) recently approved in the 25 countries of the European Union was granted reimbursement by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Board (PBB) of Sweden for treatment of obese patients with BMI over 35 kg/m2 or overweight patients with BMI over 28 kg/m2 and type-2 diabetes or dyslipideamia.
Acomplia is available for patients in Sweden as of today, a company release stated.
Swedish reimbursement of Acomplia, the first-in-class medicine that targets multiple cardiometabolic risk factors, is the third reimbursement obtained in Europe in a month and completes the reimbursements obtained in Denmark and Ireland.
Cardiometabolic risk is formed by a cluster of factors that can lead people to develop cardiovascular disease and/or type-2 diabetes. Main risk factors are abdominal obesity, high triglycerides (bad cholesterol), low HDL cholesterol level (good cholesterol), insulin resistance, elevated glucose and high blood pressure.
Acomplia works by selectively blocking CB1 receptors found in the brain and peripheral organs important in glucose and lipid (or fat) metabolism, including adipose tissue, the liver, gastrointestinal tract and muscle. CB1 receptor blockade with Acomplia acts to decrease the overactivity of the endocannabinoid system (EC system). The EC system is a recently characterised physiological system that includes receptors such as the CB1 receptor, and it is believed to play an important role in regulating body weight and in controlling energy balance, as well as glucose and lipid metabolism.
Acomplia is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise for the treatment of obese patients (BMI ? 30kg/m2), or overweight patients (BMI >27kg/m2) with associated risk factors, such as type 2 diabetes or dyslipidaemia.
The approval of Acomplia (rimonabant) a first in class product discovered and developed by sanofi-aventis was based on comprehensive efficacy and safety data, including data from the RIO clinical trial programme which involved more than 6,600 patients worldwide, of which over 4,500 were studied for up to two years.