We have a bit more news on Taranbant - the drug similar to Acomplia that is being developed by Merck. We have been bringing our readers news on this medication on a regular basis and we thought that you might be interested in an article in the January issue of Cell Metabolism, which discusses the effectiveness of Taranabant at low doses over a 12 week period.
Taranabany works as a CB1 receptor inverse agonist whereas Acomplia is a CB1 receptor antagonist so they work in slightly different ways. Taranabant appears to cause significant weight loss at doses which block just 30% of cannabinoid receptors in the brain. Apparently the drug was effective at low doses of 0.5 mg to 6.0 mg. This compares to a standard dose of 20 mg for Acomplia.
In a double blind trial involving 12 mg daily dose of Taranabant and a placebo, the Taranabant patients were observed to consume 27% fewer calories than those taking the placebo. It was also observed the the Taranabant patients burned more fat and expended more energy while at rest. This is a really exciting new drug and we hear that Merck will be applying to the FDA in the US by the end of this year. It is not clear if they will be making a simultaneous application the the European Medicines Agency but this would make sense. we have heard that they will not be making a simultaneous application but this has not been confirmed by the company. As always, we will bring you more news when we receive it!