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.