s treated with rimonabant 20mg there was a statistically significant reduction (p=0.002 vs. placebo) in the proportion of small dense atherogenic LDL, which are associated with higher cardiovascular risk, and an increase in the proportion of large, less atherogenic LDL particles (p<0.001 vs. placebo). A positive shift from smaller to larger LDL particles is predictive of reduced cardiovascular risk.

All improvements in metabolic risk factors were statistically significant vs. the control group. In fact, the number of patients diagnosed as having metabolic syndrome at baseline, 52.9%, was reduced by half to 25.8% after treatment with rimonabant 20 mg (p<0.001) compared to placebo.

C-reactive protein (CRP), an important inflammation marker, predictive of cardiovascular risk, was reduced by 27% in the rimonabant 20 mg group, compared with an 11% reduction in the placebo group (p<0.01). In a sub-sample of patients the investigators also measured a specific product of adipose tissue, adiponectin, since abdominally obese patients have markedly reduced plasma adiponectin levels. They found a 41% increase in plasma adiponectin concentration in the rimonabant 20 mg group, compared to an increase of 13.6% in the placebo group (p<0.001). Such an increase in adiponectin levels could partly explain the beneficial effects of the drug on some metabolic risk factors, such as HDL-cholesterol.

Reduced insulin sensitivity (decreased ability of the body's cell to use insulin resulting in impaired glucose control) increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The RIO-Lipids study investigated rimonabant's effect on improving insulin sensitivity using a standard test to measure glucose control, the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). The OGTT showed that even in this non-diabetic population, patients in the rimonabant 20mg group had improved glucose control (p<0.001 over two hours vs. placebo), and their bodies had to produce less insulin (-2
'"/>

Contact: Glenn Lehrman
glenn.lehrman@ketchum.com
917-533-5998
Ketchum
9-Mar-2004

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Related biology news :

1. New study shows hope for treating inhalant abuse
2. Chemical derived from vitamin-E shows early promise as cancer drug
3. Cancer vaccine based on pathogenic listeria bacteria shows promise targeting metastases
4. Trial shows which brain cancer patients benefit from temozolomide
5. New research shows plants can shuffle and paste gene pieces to generate genetic diversity
6. Preclinical safety study shows adipose-derived stem cells improve heart function after heart attack
7. Simian virus 40 not associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, study shows
8. A probable cause for high blood pressure identified - shows links with diabetes
9. Blue marlin in gulf have high mercury levels, A&M study shows
10. New research shows air pollution can reduce childrens lung function
11. Pneumococcal vaccine reduces ear infections, pneumonia, new study shows