Merck & Co. said it halted development of an experimental anti- obesity drug called taranabant because of increased risk of psychiatric side effects in clinical trials. Five patient studies of the drug are being halted, said spokeswoman Amy Rose.
Expectations for taranabant already were low because of the known safety concerns as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's resistance to approving a similar drug developed by Sanofi-Aventis (SNY), called rimonabant. An FDA advisory committee recommended against agency approval of rimonabant in 2007 due to psychiatric side effects, and Sanofi subsequently withdrew its application.
Merck's discontinuation of taranabant suggests that this class of obesity drugs, whose science was rooted in the same mechanism that gave Cheech and Chong the "munchies," is coming down from its high. The drugs are known as cannabinoid-1 receptor inverse agonists or antagonists, and are designed to work by blocking the same area of the brain that triggers hunger in people smoking marijuana.
Pfizer Inc. (PFE) has a CB-1 receptor antagonist in late-stage studies for obesity, according to an update of the company's pipeline provided earlier this week. A spokeswoman declined immediate comment on the compound's future.
Steve - with Pfizer's comments earlier this week about getting out of the obesity drug market, they may scrap their CB-1 receptor antagonist as well.
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