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Orexigen Therapeutics’s experimental obesity drug Contrave has shown weight-loss benefits as well as helping to reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels, according to a trial.
The company reports that nearly half of patients who completed 56 weeks of treatment lost at least 10% of their weight, with even greater improvement in non-weight loss measures in patients at high risk of heart disease.
This is reflected in data covering secondary measures such as impact on waist circumference, blood lipids, a marker for inflammation and blood sugar levels in a trial of obese diabetics.
The company says three Phase III trials show that Contrave met its primary goal of at least 5% weight loss compared with a placebo, and includes patients who discontinued the medicine at any point.
Contrave is a pill that combines the antidepressant Wellbutrin (bupropion) with a sustained-release version of the opioid blocker naltrexone, which is used to treat alcoholism and other addictions.
Copyright Press Association 2009
Contrave
