“We are in the process of making the drug available in the market,’’ Hameed said, adding that it is a pre-1995 drug and does not fall under the TRIPS agreement. Sanofi Aventis holds the patent to manufacture the drug.

Rimonabant is on sale in Europe. In the US, FDA approval is pending for smoking but for anti-obesity function, clearance was given in February. Brand name Acomplia, Rimonabant is a Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor, first developed in 1994 to fight obesity. It was recently found to control blood glucose levels and other cardiovascular risk factors in people with Type 2 diabetes, says an article in the October 27 issue of medical journal The Lancet. The findings suggest that this drug could be used as a new approach for treatment of diabetes where other drugs have failed.

“There are nerve receptors that exist in the brain and fat cells. These receptors tell the body to over-eat and consume nicotine. Rimonabant blocks the signals these receptors give out,’’ said Dr Anoop Misra, head of department of Metabolism and Diabetes at New Delhi’s Fortis Hospital. By blocking the signals, the patient loses the urge to over-eat or consume nicotine. The combined effects work wonders in diabetes patients.

Type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed in adulthood and is treated with either dietary changes or drugs. In the latest study, Andre Scheen (University of Liege, Belgium) and colleagues investigated the effects of Rimonabant on 1,047 overweight patients with poorly controlled Type 2 diabetes, despite treatment with standard diabetes drugs.

The patients were given a diet plan that provided slightly fewer calories than they needed and were advised to be physically more active to help induce weight loss. They were also given either Rimonabant or a placebo. The patients followed this regimen for a year. The investigators showed that after a year, patients given Rimonabant lost significantly more weight than those given the placebo. Patients given Rimonabant also had greater improvement in waist circumference, blood glucose control, blood lipids, and better appetite control than those given the placebo.