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Latest news regarding the Wonder Drug Zimulti, this time from Down Under.
Scientists in Perth, West Australia will be testing a brand new weight-loss pill in the hope it will not only help patients lose weight but also cut their chance of heart diseases by increasing levels of good cholesterol or HDL.
Royal Perth Hospital test, as part of an international test, could prove the weight-loss drug called Rimonabant, developed by the French drugmaker Sanofi Aventis, can preclude the condition known as metabolic syndrome, a particularly high risk form of weight gain which entails problems controlling cholesterol, insulin and blood pressure.
Gerald Watts, Royal Perth Hospital professor of medicine, who specializes in metabolic disorders, said the drug is expected to be approved in Australia within a few months and the hospital aimed to enroll 15 to 20 patients as part of the 80 being studied worldwide.
The pills that have been available until now have had toxic outcomes and some work but have no long-term safety data, so this is a new approach to the management of obesity.
The drug works by preventing chemical operations in the brain, which results in loss appetite and also acts on the liver to help the body burn more fat, but side-effects can include nausea and diarrhea.
Were curious in the mechanism of how this drug works and the function it could play in obese people who have several risk factors for heart disease, one of which is low HDL cholesterol, or metabolic syndrome, he said.
Professor Watts said the bottom line is to help people lose weight, which then reduces their chance of other sicknesses such as diabetes. It means that people end up eating less and burning more fat so its a very strong instrument for targeting obesity, but beyond that its also an strong instrument for helping smoking and even alcohol abuse, he said.
Royal Perth Hospital is enroling men and women aged between 35 and 65 who are overweight or obese with a waist perimeter of more than 102cm in men and 88cm in women and have high triglycerides with low HDL cholesterol. They will be put on a diet to lose 5 per cent of their body weight and some will be selected to continue on the Rimonabant test.
In test that have been done, the gains that have been seen in terms of increasing HDL cholesterol could not be excused by the weight loss alone, so it clearly has a direct outcome on the good cholesterol.
About the Author: Julie Carter researches health & nutrition topics. Julie advises people on health & nutrition topics and updates. Visit her new website Melatanon - Super Pill
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