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| |  IDF: Xenical (Orlistat) Significantly Reduces Weight Among Type 2 Diabetics, Improves Sugar Control TORONTO, ON -- November 7, 2000 -- Treatment with Xenical® (orlistat) significantly reduces weight among patients with type 2 diabetes (adult-onset diabetes) and it significantly improves long-term blood sugar control. In addition, it can also lead to a reduction in patients' daily dosage of their anti-diabetic medication and an improvement in their blood lipid levels. Two new studies presented at the 17th International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Congress in Mexico City add to the compelling body of evidence demonstrating that Xenical is an effective weight management agent for patients with type 2 diabetes. The studies looked at the effect of Xenical plus diet in patients with established type 2 diabetes who were also being treated with the anti-diabetic medications insulin or metformin. Weight is the most important modifiable risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. Moreover, some anti-diabetic treatments, such as sulfonylureas and insulin, may cause unfavourable weight gain in these patients. Effective weight management is an essential component of the long- term treatment of type 2 diabetes. As little as five to 10 percent weight loss improves glycemic control and other cardiovascular risk factors commonly seen in patients with type 2 diabetes. "The relationship between obesity and type 2 diabetes is well-established, but reducing weight remains one of the most difficult challenges for these patients," said Dr. Ehud Ur, Associate Professor of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax. "There is now considerable evidence that the use of Xenical in overweight or obese patients with type 2 diabetes provides an important new therapeutic choice for the management of these individuals." In the study of overweight patients with type 2 diabetes receiving insulin, those taking Xenical plus diet lost significantly more weight than patients in the placebo plus diet group did. Treatment with Xenical significantly improved glycemic control, based on HbA(1)c and blood glucose levels. In addition, patients treated with Xenical had greater reductions in their daily insulin dose compared to the control group. Furthermore, Xenical plus diet was also associated with significant improvements in blood lipid levels compared with the control group. "The potential role of Xenical may be especially important for type 2 diabetes patients using insulin, given that weight gain is a frequent side effect of insulin therapy. In addition, since patients often need to use increasing amounts of insulin, anything that can reduce progressive weight gain would be a welcome therapeutic tool," added Dr. Ur. The second study, among overweight patients taking metformin for their type 2 diabetes, showed similar results. Compared with the control group, Xenical plus diet produced greater weight loss, improvement in glycemic control and blood lipid levels, and greater reductions in the required dose of metformin. In Canada, type 2 diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions, with more than 1.5 million Canadians diagnosed with the disease, and an estimated 750,000 more undiagnosed. Type 2 diabetes is one of the most costly health problems in Canada due to its devastating complications; it represents a huge burden to the healthcare system and will continue to increase as this illness grows to epidemic proportions. If not properly treated, type 2 diabetes can lead to heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, blindness and amputation. "People with type 2 diabetes have a two-to-four fold increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease," said Dr. Lawrence Leiter, Professor of Medicine and Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto and Head, Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, St. Michael's Hospital. "Weight reduction has been shown to improve blood sugar levels as well as other metabolic abnormalities and may therefore have the potential of reducing the cardiovascular risks associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes." Xenical is an effective and safe weight management treatment for overweight and obese patients. It is the only available weight loss medication that works locally in the gut to prevent fat absorption by about 30 percent. Although generally well tolerated, when using Xenical, people should adopt a reduced-fat diet. Since it was first marketed in 1998, there have been more than eight million patient treatments with Xenical worldwide. Related Link: Xenical® (orlistat).
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