Fat-cure pill causes depression: study
Fat-cure pill causes depression: study
By Christian Catalano
November 19, 2007
The Melbourne Age
An anti-obesity drug that may be available soon in Australia more than doubles the risk of depression, anxiety and other psychiatric illnesses, a study says. Its manufacturer says it will push ahead with an appeal to have the drug, rimonabant, approved locally, despite evidence published yesterday by an international study that shows patients who used it were 40% more likely to have adverse or serious adverse events.
The evidence, published in The Lancet, analysed four different trials involving 4105 patients. It found that people who used rimonabant — sold under the name Acomplia — were three times more likely to stop treatment due to depressive symptoms than those taking a placebo. The same group was also 2½ times more likely to stop taking the drug due to feelings of anxiety.
The findings of a team of Danish scientists follow a decision by US authorities in June to block approval of rimonabant because it may increase thoughts of suicide. French drug company Sanofi-Aventis revealed yesterday that Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration had knocked back rimonabant in the past three months. Rimonabant is available in 37 countries. Company spokesman Gordon Hirsch said: "But we will continue to work with the TGA appeal to gain approval for rimonabant." Mr Hirsch said The Lancet article was based on old research data but Sanofi-Aventis supported the conclusion that caution should be taken by doctor and patient when using rimonabant. "Every drug has got side effects," he said. A separate study published in the British Medical Journal yesterday found patients taking rimonabant and two other weight-loss drugs, orlistat and sibutramine, had modest weight loss of less than 5% of total body weight. "Many will remain significantly obese or overweight," it said.
Melbourne eating behaviour expert Dr Rick Kausman said medications could not fix the underlying cause of weight problems. "While we want to encourage research, there is never going to be a miracle cure for this issue. People become over their most healthy weight through a complex mix of behaviour, biology, psychology, environment and culture," he said.
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