Sanofi-Aventis,one of the biggest company in the drug’s field, said on April 3rd it still has high hopes for Acomplia, even though it was rejected by a U.S. FDA advisory panel last year because of uncertainty of psychiatric effects.

Marc Cluzel, Sanofi’s head of research, said in a round of interviews in London that he continues to believe Acomplia can be a winner.

Acomplia, which was to have been marketed in the United States as Zimulti, was withdrawn from FDA consideration last June after an expert panel unanimously recommended against approval out of concern over depressive and suicidal side-effects, but it’s still possible to be accepted on the biggest market in the world. Latest studies showed that yes, indeed there are some depressive side effects but that is in the case of patients that had psychiatric medical history.

Data from a new clinical trial of possible use of Acomplia in slowing progression of coronary artery disease was reported this week along with news that 43.4 percent of patients who got rimonabant in this trial suffered psychiatric side effects such as anxiety and depression.But this is not a problem in this moment because reserchers discovered the cause of those side effects.

Acomplia, in addition to promoting weight loss by blocking the body’s CB-1 receptors, may also block a receptor in the brain called TRPV1, possibly explaining why the diet pill produces depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts in some patients, according to researchers but again this will be seen in patients with psychiatric medical history.

This is a great news for people around the world, because many suffer of the obesity disease and they need help. Acomplia also helps patiens who suffer from diabeatis and also people who want to quit smoking. As the times is running we discover that Rimonabant has many many benefits and I think that now we are able to say that the side effects are minimum

Cluzel also reiterated that Sanofi intends to resubmit rimonabant to the FDA and regulators worldwide in 2009 for approval as a treatment for type 2 diabetes.