Rimonabant, touted as a “wonder pill” that helps you reduce weight, quit smoking, manage lipid profile and now found to be effective in managing diabetes among obese patients, is likely to hit the Indian market soon. While many big pharmaceutical firms are likely to start trials for the drugs in India soon, Cipla CEO Y K Hameed said the company is likely to launch the drug in India in a few months.

“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.

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