RIMONABANT ACCEPTED FOR FILING BY THE FDA

Sanofi-aventis has announced that the FDA has accepted for filing the company's New Drug Application (NDA) for rimonabant, the first agent in a new therapeutic class known as selective cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) blockers.

Rimonabant, discovered and developed by sanofi-aventis, is thought to represent a new approach for the comprehensive management of cardiovascular risk factors. The compound has been studied to date in over 6,500 overweight and obese adults for up to 2 years.

Despite therapeutic advances in recent decades, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Current treatments generally target risk factors individually, rather than providing a comprehensive management approach to such cardiovascular risks as dyslipidemia, abdominal obesity and insulin resistance, which comprise the metabolic syndrome.