The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7479 p579
24 November 2007

This article
Reprint   Photocopy

  Acrobat Reader

News summary

Greater awareness needed of obesity drug depression risk

Greater awareness of the potential of rimonabant to induce symptoms of depression is needed, the authors of a Lancet paper stress.

As reported last week (PJ, 17 November, p551), a meta-analysis of trials including 4,105 participants showed that rimonabant increases the risk of psychiatric adverse events such as depressed mood disorders and anxiety (2007;370:1706). “The potential of rimonabant to induce depressive symptoms and depression in overweight patients needs greater attention,” the authors argue.

Patients given rimonabant were 2.5 times more likely to discontinue treatment because of depressive mood disorders than those given placebo (number need to harm 49). In addition, anxiety caused more patients to discontinue treatment in rimonabant groups than in placebo groups.

The authors suggest that, since patients with a history of depression were excluded from trials, the number needed to harm could be much lower in clinical practice.

In response to the study, Sanofi-Aventis, which markets rimonabant as Acomplia, issued a statement which stressed that psychiatric events are already appreciated by clinicians who prescribe the product, and that patients who have been depressed are at risk from further episodes and should not be prescribed the product.