Acomplia

Acomplia is an anti-obesity drug that bears a broad spectrum of names which includes: Zimulti, Rimonabant, Slimona, Monaslim and many other names. The drug lowers the appetite of the user by obstructing the cannaboid receptors in the brain. It also serves to end nicotine addiction, improve short-term memory and may abate a relapse in recovering cocaine, opium and alcohol addicts ( Despres, 2005).

The U.S Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A) denied the use of Acomplia in the country since June 2007. The FDA officials found a strong correlation between psychiatric disorders and the use of the drug. The side effects of the drug are aggravated by the psychological condition in instances when the patient is suffering from major depression. The end result was a registered high rate of suicide amongst the users of the drug. It was beyond a shred of doubt that the overall effect of Acomplia is detrimental to the user: the negative effects surpass the intended positive effects ( Despres, 2005).

It is a precarious gamble to use the drug that effectively assists in weight loss since it compromises the mental health of the user. There is no defined acceptable risk in regards to the use of Acomplia. It is impossible to quantify to what extent its use is acceptable even in the case of advanced obesity that predisposes the victim to developing diabetes type 2. It has also been discovered that cessation of the intake of the drug reverses the appetite of the victim: there is a relapse and the appetite doubles. The benefit-risk ratio is irreversible and indisputable (Drugs.com, 2007).

Given the grievous effects of the drug, the FDA deems it a threat to the metal health of Americans. FDA’s actions gravitate towards protecting the interest and the welfare of the country that might spiral out of control given the high number of the obese in the populace. It, therefore, would be very reluctant to approve the marketing and sale of Acomplia across the country after witnessing the suicide cases and psychotic conditions of patients in the country and across Europe. The removal of the drug from the European market has also given the U.S Food and Drug Administration a more plausible explanation for their reluctance to accept its use. In addition to this, the drug manufacturer-Sanofi-aventis, were unable to furnish sufficient data to the F.D.A that would exonerate the drug. The future of the drug in the U.S is still bleak. It is in order to say that there is no ideal weight loss drug albeit drugs like Placebo are somewhat innocuous. Placebo is only a substitute drug that can sell but not Acomplia regardless of the brand name it would assume in the U.S market ( Drugs.com, 2007).